《Magic Era: My Cells Can Evol》 Chapter 1 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Faye City. The central city of the Magus Continent. At the edge of the city, a family of four was enjoying themselves and preparing to eat. ¡°To celebrate Catherine becoming a magister today, you have to drink a few bottles with me, son.¡± A middle-aged man with gray hair had already taken his seat while his face flushed gloriously. Upon hearing that, Austin smiled and said, ¡°Dad, we still have to work at the Magister Association tomorrow. Raising a Pyro Lion is no joke.¡± His sister, Catherine, did not mind her brother¡¯s words. Nevertheless, she went to the wine cabinet and took out two bottles of wine. A bottle for Austin and another for Dearka. ¡°Come on Brother, just drink a little with Father. You won¡¯t get drunk from just two bottles of wine.¡± Catherine said sweetly. Austin glanced at his sister. She wore a simple short-sleeved top and a pair of black pants, making her legs look exceptionally long and slender. She looked youthful and beautiful, her eyes clean and without any makeup. Her skin was naturally fair, and she had a high ponytail. With Catherine¡¯s looks and figure, she would definitely be a female celebrity in Austin¡¯s world. Indeed, Austin was not a native of this world. When he was a child, he had already transmigrated into this world. In theory, he could be considered the owner of this body. The original owner of this body drowned during his childhood. He, who had died saving someone in the original world, happened to transmigrate and possess this body. This world was a magic continent where strength reigned supreme. Coincidentally, the world was in chaos. Catherine was the only person in this small family who had the talent to become a magic caster. After years of painstaking cultivation, she finally became an apprentice magister. Magisters enjoyed a lofty status in this world, but they also bore heavy responsibilities. Vicious beasts were rampant all over the world. Magisters needed to join the Magister Association in their respective cities and head to the hunting area to battle the ferocious beasts. As the eldest son of his family, Austin, who did not have any magic talent, was naturally unwilling to accept this fate. ¡°Sister, what level of attack can you use now?¡± Austin asked as he poured a bottle of wine for his dad. Upon hearing this, Catherine¡¯s eyes sparkled. She tilted her head and answered, ¡°The minimum standard for an apprentice magister is to deal 500 kilograms of damage to a magic puppet. ¡°After the apprentice Magister test this time, my attack power has reached around 600 kilograms!¡± ¡°Brother, you¡¯ve always bullied me when I was little. Now, times have changed.¡± Katherine bared her canine teeth and raised her pinkish fist to threaten her older brother. 600 kilograms! Austin gasped. Although he was already familiar with the evaluation of the magister system, Austin was still shocked to find out about his sister¡¯s results. How could a petite and frail body unleash strength comparable to a bear or a tiger? ¡°So this is the power of a Magister? It¡¯s hard to imagine.¡± Austin shook his head and sighed. ¡°My sister has grown up, and I can¡¯t beat her anymore.¡± With that, he poured himself a glass of wine. ¡°What are all of you talking about? It¡¯s time to eat, time to eat!¡± The mother, who was busy in the kitchen, served the last dish after processing the roasted meat. ¡°Son, go light the furnace now.¡± His mother stood at the dining table with the processed magic beef. Austin got up quickly as he took out a flint, and began to lit the furnace. Pa! Flames sprang up and spread along. Austin did not pick up his hand quick enough as the fire scalded his fingers. ¡°Ding¡­ congratulations host, system binding successful.¡± ¡°In the course of lighting the furnace, your cells came into contact with the flames and evolved into fire resistance level 1. Fire control level 1.¡± Immediately, a warm current flowed through his body. Austin froze. System prompt? Cells evolved? I¡¯m bound to a system? All of a sudden, countless thoughts flashed through his mind. ¡°What are you daydreaming about?¡± His mother rolled her eyes at him. Then, she placed the freshly processed meat on the iron plate on the old-fashioned charcoal furnace. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat. Time to taste my culinary skills today.¡± Austin sat back in his chair, his mind no longer on the food in front of him. He wanted to test his system. Her mother filled Catherine¡¯s plate with beef and beamed. ¡°Catherine,¡± she said with pride. ¡°Eat more to improve your strength. ¡°Apprentice Magister, you are the pride of our family now!¡± ¡°Mother, I¡¯m already past the point of eating meat to increase my strength. ¡°If I really want to increase my strength by consuming meat, I have to eat from those vicious beasts.¡± Despite her words, Catherine handed over the bowl happily and received the meat from her mother. Dearka and Austin began chatting as they drank. ¡°Catherine, you have only just started as an apprentice magister. In the future, you will become one of those official magisters and even more powerful. ¡°The path as a magister is long. You must persevere in order to advance further.¡± Her mother murmured, ¡°Once Catherine becomes an official magister, it¡¯ll bring more honor to our family. We would even be able to get a subsidy from the main family every month.¡± Catherine nodded in agreement. A thought flashed through Austin¡¯s mind, and he asked, ¡°To become an official magister, isn¡¯t there still a test where you have to hunt ferocious beasts?¡± What was a magister? Only by experiencing combat and being tempered by battle could one be called a magister! The difference between an apprentice magister and an official magister was the actual combat and the struggle between life and death. Catherine¡¯s eyes flashed with a tinge of concern, but she quickly hid it. ¡°There¡¯s an official magister exam in a few days. I¡¯m going to take it.¡± Austin frowned. ¡°Would it be too soon?¡± Catherine shook her head and said, ¡°I heard that the upper echelons of Thunder Guild will be going to take a look at this official martial arts examination.¡± ¡°There are rumors among my friends that the Thunder Guild wants to bring in fresh blood and select a batch of seeded players. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.¡± The Thunder Guild¡­ Austin raised his eyebrows. It was no wonder that his younger sister was tempted and was willing to take the risk. The Thunder Guild was one of the three major Magister Guilds in the country. The president of the Thunder Guild, Ray, was one of the top ten powerhouses in the world! Many martial artists wanted to break their heads just to enter the Thunder Guild. As long as they entered that, forget about becoming a magister, becoming an even stronger existence was not a dream! However, the mortality rate of an official magister was not low either. Austin¡¯s parents were also deep in thought and conflicted. They hoped that their daughter could become an official magister, but they did not want her to rush to the front line and fight the ferocious beasts at the same time. Catherine¡¯s gaze was firm as she said firmly, ¡°Father, Mother, Brother, I¡¯ve made up my mind. I must go for this official martial arts examination!¡± Austin looked seriously. ¡°I¡¯ll help you, sister.¡± Catherine looked at her brother and smiled. ¡°Thank you, brother. With your support, I will surely pass the exam for an official Magister.¡± Austin secretly clenched his fists. He knew his sister thought that he was joking. After all, the gap between an ordinary person and a Magister was too huge. It was like a chasm! The physical strength of a Magister could unleash a minimum of 500 kilograms of force. How much power could an ordinary person unleash with a single punch? Not to mention that a Magister could also learn magic techniques. But it had not occurred to Catherine that Austin was being serious. I must become a Magister too and help my sister pass the exam! Having lived here for a long time, Austin had long treated everyone in this family as his own. Chapter 2 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After dinner. Austin returned to his room. The system notification sounded again. ¡°Host has been breathing for a long time. Your cells have evolved again. You have obtained the ability Air Control level 1, Wind Control level 1!¡± Austin was startled. Cells could also evolve just by breathing? Austin took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. He sensed the change in himself. It was as if he could control every wisp of air around him. Then, he could make it flow and become¡­ wind! Wind control? Austin opened his palm and clenched his fingers slightly. The surrounding air gathered, forming a whirlwind in his palm. It was only wind control at level one that did not have much destructive power. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. This is how I control air and wind?¡± Austin clenched his fist and dispersed the whirlwind in his palm. ¡°Although this air control isn¡¯t the same as the ¡®air magic¡¯ of the magisters, it¡¯s equally powerful when it¡¯s at a more advanced level.¡± Just think about it, once the level of controlling air and wind was higher. Air Riding! Creating a tornado with a wave of his hand! He could even directly extract air in an area to suffocate the enemy to death! Austin pulled out the flintstones again. With a light knock against each other, a flame burst forth from the two flintstones. Austin¡¯s eyes focused on the lighter¡¯s flame. Fire control! Austin¡¯s eyes widened as flames burst forth. The flames moved according to his will, surrounding Austin¡¯s palm before forming a fireball the size of a ping pong ball. As time passed, the flame slowly disappeared. ¡°I see. I can control fire, but I can¡¯t create fire out of thin air.¡± Austin asked, ¡°System, how can I make my cells evolve to possess the ability to create flames?¡± System: ¡°Ding, answering the host. When cells come into contact with a life form that can create flames, they will naturally evolve to possess the ability to produce flames.¡± ¡°It can evolve after coming into contact with any life forms?¡± Austin¡¯s eyes lit up as he had a plan. ¡°Although I don¡¯t have the talent of a magister, my cells can automatically evolve. My potential might not be lower than a magister.¡± ¡°More importantly, there¡¯s no need for me to cultivate!¡± Why cultivate when his cells could evolve on their own. How satisfying was that? Austin imagined him interacting with various beasts and evolving various abilities. Invisibility, fire, lightning, flight¡­ What would be the final destination of cell evolution? A word surfaced in Austin¡¯s mind¡ªGod! ¡°I can evolve just by eating, drinking, and coming into contact with ferocious beasts. This is simply too awesome.¡± Austin couldn¡¯t wait to get out of the city and into the hunting area to touch some beasts. Of course, Austin did not get too carried away. If he wanted to come into contact with a beast, they would only be sending his head to the beast if he was not strong enough. ¡°Right, another question. How do I improve my abilities? ¡°For example, when I lit the fire just now, the cells evolved to have fire resistance and fire control abilities, but it¡¯s only level one. ¡°How can I reach level two, level three, or even higher?¡± The system replied, ¡°Ding, host will need to constantly come into contact with flames of higher temperatures before the cells can evolve to a higher level.¡± Touch flames of higher temperatures? Austin thought for a while and asked again, ¡°What will happen if I jump into the magma? Will my cells evolve into high-level fire-element abilities?¡± The temperature of the fire in ordinary furnaces was only a few hundred degrees, while the surface temperature of magma could reach an extremely terrifying temperature! As for the temperature at the bottom of the magma, it could reach a state where it could destroy almost anything! The system gave the answer to Austin¡¯s hypothesis. ¡°Ding¡­ Based on the host¡¯s current cell strength, if you approach the lava, you will only be burnt to ashes.¡± Austin frowned. ¡°Can¡¯t the cells evolve?¡± The system replied, ¡°Ding. Evolution is a gradual process, not something that can be achieved overnight.¡± Austin understood now. Evolution could only occur under conditions he could withstand. The cells would still evolve if he jumped into the sun. However, before he could evolve enough to withstand the high temperature of the lava, Austin would have already turned into ashes. ¡°I should stay down to earth and take my time! ¡°I can already evolve by eating and drinking now. What more can I ask for? I shouldn¡¯t dream of reaching the heavens in a single bound!¡± Austin knew how to be content and not blindly confident. ¡°My sister is an apprentice magister. I wonder if my cells can evolve if I touch her.¡± An idea popped up in his mind. As he thought about it, he could not stop thinking about it. Currently, Catherine, an apprentice magister, was the most powerful person in the family. Magisters were also a type of life form. Could his cells evolve after contact? Austin immediately thought of finding Catherine. ¡°Hold up¡­ ¡°How to openly contact my sister is the real question here.¡± Austin stopped on the spot. Although she was his sister that he grew up with, Austin rarely had any intimate contact with Catherine. ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly say ¡®let me hug you and hold your hand, my sister¡¯ right? ¡°I¡¯m afraid that my old man will send me to the German Orthopedics Department!¡± ¡°Oh yes,¡± Austin¡¯s eyes lit up as he pulled out a small fortune bag from the cabinet. ¡°This will do.¡± Austin grabbed the fortune bag and left his room to knock on his sister¡¯s door. Catherine was sitting cross-legged on the carpet, facing the night sky outside the window. She was in the middle of practicing the channeling method. This channeling method was created by the Grand Magisters, a combination of all kinds of basic meditation methods. It could allow a person with the magic talent to guide the power of heaven and earth and the energies of the universe into their body and refine it into Qi. It was the foundation of a magister¡¯s power! Upon hearing the knock on the door, Catherine adjusted her breathing and stopped channeling. ¡°Come in.¡± Austin pushed the door open. There was no light in the room, and the faint scent of a teenage girl lingered around. A young girl with a ponytail sat cross-legged on the carpet. In the moonlight, Catherine¡¯s fair cheeks looked exceptionally beautiful. If not for her status as an apprentice magister, who would have thought that this slender and elegant girl had just turned sixteen this year? ¡°Hi, brother.¡± Austin fixed his eyes on Catherine. In terms of looks, Austin was not inferior to his sister. However, Catherine belongs to the type who was eye-catching at first sight. On the other hand, having participated in the city defense construction, Austin was naturally less handsome and more masculine. He was the type that was easy on the eye. Chapter 3 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Austin breathed in the aroma of his sister¡¯s room and cleared his throat. ¡°Well, Catherine, aren¡¯t you going to take the official magister¡¯s exam in a few days?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Catherine answered. ¡°I¡¯ve specially prepared an amulet for you. I¡¯m giving it to you as a blessing that you¡¯ll be safe and pass the official martial arts examination.¡± Austin looked serious as he solemnly placed the small fortune bag in Catherine¡¯s hand. Before his sister could react, he grabbed her hand. ¡°Sister¡­¡± ¡°B-brother?¡± Catherine looked at her brother while she was at a loss. Austin did not hear the system notification and could only continue to stall for time. He grabbed Catherine¡¯s hand and did not let go. ¡°Sister, are you seriously considering taking this exam? ¡°There¡¯s too little time. You need more time to settle down and sharpen your actual combat experience.¡± Austin anxiously waited for the system notification while he said worriedly, ¡°As your older brother¡­ I¡¯m worried about you.¡± Catherine allowed Austin to hold her hand, her pretty face blushing slightly in the dark. ¡°Brother, I¡¯m no longer a child. I know what I¡¯m doing exactly. ¡°Besides, I just can¡¯t miss the opportunity of joining the Thunder Guild!¡± Catherine¡¯s lively eyes brightened up in determination. ¡°I want Mom, Dad, and you to lead a good life. ¡°I heard that as long as you become an official member of the Thunder Guild, you can let your immediate family move to a more prosperous city and obtain a house. ¡°That place is said to be the richest city in the country and even in the world.¡± Catherine¡¯s heartfelt voice moved Austin. A warm current flowed through Austin¡¯s heart. At this moment, the system notification sounded. ¡°Ding! The host has come into contact with a magister. Your cells have evolved and your physical fitness has increased by five times!¡± Austin felt his body heat up immediately. Every cell in his body was rapidly metabolizing, evolving, and becoming stronger! Skin cells, muscle cells, blood cells, organ cells¡­ All kinds of cells were getting enhanced! The transformation that Austin experienced was earth-shattering. Strength! Speed! Reaction! Vision, hearing, endurance, etc¡­ All of them increased by five times!! It was an unimaginable leap. To Austin, it was as if he had transformed from an ordinary person to a powerful person with extraordinary powers. Austin¡¯s heart raced as he patted his sister¡¯s palm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Catherine. I¡¯ll be with you at the official Magister exam.¡± After some casual conversation, Austin returned to his room. Catherine returned to sit cross-legged. She lowered her head and placed the small fortune bag in her heart, her lips curling up out of the blue. ¡°Brother, you¡¯ve always been by my side.¡± Meanwhile, Austin paced back and forth excitedly when he returned to his room. ¡°I can feel that my body is filled with power now.¡± ¡°So this is the power of a magister?¡± Magisters were divided into two types. One was a physical body cultivation technique mainly supported by weaponry, while the other was a magical cultivation technique mainly supported by magic spells. It was clear that Catherine was a physical magister who mainly used magitek as her attacking means. Austin clenched his fist, tightening his arm muscles. The power was infused into his arm, gathering without being released. He felt that he could kill a cow with one punch. It was a pity that he did not have a target to attack. Otherwise, Austin would have tried to see if he had reached the standard of an apprentice magister. Austin¡¯s heart palpitated, and he asked in his mind, ¡°System, what if I come into contact with a tier-two or maybe tier-four magister? Will I become a tier-two or tier-four magister directly?¡± The system voice replied, ¡°Ding. Host, according to the cultivation system of this planet, the strength of a high-tier magister does not lay in the physical attributes, but it is in the power of the magic reserves.¡± A magister would not just train on their physical aspect. The later the cultivation stage, the greater the importance of the magic training became. ¡°In addition, in order for the host¡¯s current cells to evolve to the level of a high-tier magister, the time needed to contact them will be extremely long.¡± Austin was not too disappointed after hearing the system¡¯s explanation. It was right within his expectations. Anyway, he did not know any high-tier magister. Austin only wanted to ask to confirm his guess. ¡°Indeed, one can¡¯t become fat with one bite.¡± When night fell while his parents went to bed, Austin rushed to the kitchen to turn on the stove. Facing the burning flames in the furnace, Austin hesitated for a moment before putting his hand closer to it. According to his previous life¡¯s memories, the temperature of the external flames would be around 1,300 to 1,400 ¡ãC. It was not a big deal as his cells had evolved to resist fire, allowing him to withstand the burning from the flames. ¡°Ding¡­ Host cell has come into contact with fire and evolved into fire resistance level two. Fire control level two.¡± After raising his fire resistance and fire control abilities to level two, Austin returned to his room to sleep. The next morning. The clear sunlight broke the night sky and scattered across the city. His father called Austin up. He still had to work at the Magister Association¡¯s magical beast farm. Austin did not feel like going, but he was afraid his father would be worried. Thus, he accompanied his father to the magical beast breeding area. Fortunately, Austin¡¯s position was different from Dearka¡¯s. Dearka was a master trainer of magical beasts, while Austin was responsible for the transportation of feed and other items. He planned to apply for leave from the head of the task force after Dearka went to work. Then, he would begin his cell evolution journey. In a few days, it would be her sister Catherine¡¯s official examination. Austin planned to become an apprentice magister within these few days and take the official magister exam with his sister. Magical Beast Breeding Area. He looked up at the walls of the breeding area. They seemed much grander than the ancient city walls. It was simply spectacular! There were many active magical beasts in the magical beast breeding area. These magical beasts were raised in the city for their magic cores, a supplementary cultivation material. Austin took out his work pass and walked through the front door with his father before they walked to their respective work areas. Looking into the distance, there was already a hunting party formed by Magisters leaving the city at the checkpoint outside the city. It was a well-equipped hunting party consisting of powerful magisters. There was even a reinforced supply wagon with a size comparable to a tank. And more advanced magitek. Before a magister advanced to a higher level, the power of a magitek was still sizable. Therefore, when these Magisters set out to hunt the magic beasts, they would also try their best to arm themselves to the teeth. Whoever dared to be lightly equipped were either seeking death, or they were absolute experts. Chapter 4 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios As they slowly approached the farm, the scenery gradually disappeared. ¡°Every day when I look at this city, I always marvel at how incredible magiteks are.¡± Austin¡¯s eyes flickered, and he said in a low voice, ¡°Even the weak humans can stand firm in the wave of destruction of the continent and rise again! ¡°No beasts will ever be able to shackle us!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to the feeding area first. Let¡¯s go home together after work.¡± Dearka patted Austin on the shoulder and walked away. Austin stood in the wind, while his work clothes flapped. Not only was there a feeding area, but there was also the city¡¯s army guarding it with magic cannons set up. If the defensive fortress was breached by the magic beasts, the millions of commoners in Faye City would be exposed to the terror of these ferocious beasts. ¡°I¡¯d better find my head and apply for a leave.¡± ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s possible to evolve my cells by catching some wind here.¡± Austin headed for his post. It might be a small siege city, still, it was extremely spacious within the defensive fortress. Due to the different classes of magical beasts, the height of the defensive fortresses in each district varied. The defensive fortress B district where Austin was located was no less than a magnificent steel building! Based on this height alone, even a commander-level beast could forget about breaking through the defense. According to Austin¡¯s understanding, magical beasts were divided into ordinary magical beasts and vicious beasts. Vicious beasts ranged from weak to strong, and they were ranked in order: from tier 1 to tier 10, which corresponded to the ranking of magisters, plus the apprentice magister. The difference between an apprentice magister and an official magister was whether they had actual combat experience of hunting ferocious beasts. To a magister, combat experience was extremely important. No matter how powerful a magister¡¯s cultivation was, nor how much theoretical knowledge one possessed, if he were to encounter a ferocious beast, his mind could go blank just like any other ordinary person. In the end, he would die in the mouth of a beast! Only those who had truly experienced the baptism in the blood of ferocious beasts were worthy of being called official magisters! As the fierce wind blew, Austin¡¯s cells evolved again. Air Control and Wind Control leveled up to Level 2. ¡°It can evolve just by standing in the wind. Awesome!¡± Austin was in a good mood. However, if he wanted to increase his ability to control the wind, he would have to endure stronger winds, maybe even hurricanes. The ganger was transporting the feed. ¡°You¡¯re here early.¡± Austin stepped forward and said, ¡°Brother David, I would like to apply for leave.¡± The ganger stopped and teased, ¡°Hey, so you¡¯re finally dating are you?¡± ¡°365 days a year, I rarely see you take a break or apply for leaves.¡± Austin shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not dating anyone. Though there are things that are more important than dating.¡± The ganger said, ¡°Date while you can. You know how it is right now where early marriage is the norm.¡± ¡°Lots of guys are as old as you. They get married at eighteen.¡± ¡°Look at me, I have two lovely kids already.¡± Austin chuckled. ¡°No wonder you¡¯re so hardworking, Brother Dave.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get down to business. I want to take a four-day leave.¡± The four days off was not a random number that came off the top of his mind. He had calculated that the official magister exam was in three days. As for the exam, not only did he have to hunt Vicious Beasts, he also had to spend the night in the Vicious Beast Town. In other words, Austin needed to take four days off. ¡°Four days?¡± Dave frowned. ¡°Austin, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to approve it. You know that we have a tight schedule.¡± ¡°In our line of work, we may be paid well, but we¡¯re bitter and tired. We can still be dangerous and less free. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t approve four days off.¡± Austin was not surprised. It was because of the high salary that Austin and his father took the job. After all, it was costly to support Catherine¡¯s training as a magister. As the old saying goes, the poor study while the rich practice martial arts was not without reason. ¡°If it won¡¯t work out, I¡¯ll resign.¡± ¡°Anyways, you can be sure that I¡¯m not coming to work for these four days, I hope you can understand.¡± Austin cupped his hands. The ganger sighed. ¡°What was so important to the point that you could quit your job.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve heard that your sister had just become an apprentice magister. In the future, your household expenses will be smaller and the financial pressure of your family will be lessened.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what. I¡¯ll do my best to get it for you, but no promises.¡± ¡°Thanks. ¡°Oh, by the way. Don¡¯t tell my dad about my leave first. I¡¯ll tell him myself later.¡± Austin waved off and left. Austin then returned to the magical beast farm. ¡°I can¡¯t touch the vicious beasts now, but I can touch the magical beasts in the feeding area.¡± ¡°It would be great if I could get my hands on a lightning-type magical beast!¡± Lightning-type magical beasts could release electricity. If Austin could contact any lightning-type magical beast, his cells would then evolve and gain the ability to release electricity. It was a pity that normal magic beasts were close to extinction as vicious beasts were everywhere. Austin went around the farm to test his luck. And he could not find any lightning-type beasts. Austin focused on the other creatures. Other than the lightning-type magical beasts, the first thing he thought of was the most ordinary and inconspicuous ant. ¡°Let¡¯s see what surprise you can give me, ant.¡± Austin caught one on the floor and held it in his palm. After a while, the system notification sounded. ¡°Ding¡­ You have come into contact with ants. Your cells have evolved and received a hundredfold increase in strength!¡± Ding¡­ a kind reminder. Your cell strength has evolved beyond your physique. Please use it cautiously. A hundredfold increase in strength! This was a huge surprise! This meant that Austin¡¯s current strength was multiplied by a hundred times. Austin¡¯s physique was similar to that of an apprentice magister. If Austin¡¯s original strength was 500 kilograms, if he were to increase his strength by 100 times, that would be 50,000 kilograms! But now, with Austin¡¯s physique, he was able to throw such a heavy punch. His fists and arms would probably become crippled after hitting the object. But Austin was not disappointed. After all, it was better than nothing. A hundredfold increase in strength was his first trump card. ¡°With this amplification, I can punch out a super heavy punch that weighs 50,000 kilograms!¡± Austin thought, ¡°Why don¡¯t we call this a 50-ton punch!¡± Chapter 5 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios There were some strange and fascinating life forms on this planet. They were tiny and inconspicuous. There were tons of them distributed around the world. They had evolved to have ¡°special abilities¡± that were unmatched compared to ordinary magical beasts. The Blazing Locust could jump to a distance 150 times its height. The Elekk could push an object that was a thousand times heavier than itself. The cockroaches that existed since the primordial era could even survive nuclear explosions. There were plenty of such magical beasts. For example, the Green Mantis Shrimp could strike Sonic Punch. The highly toxic Poison Scarlet Frogs, White-Scaled White Fang Snakes, and Ice Jellyfish could regenerate complex organs. The Black Sun Newt could even regenerate its brain! There were also the Water Spirit Worms with the most robust vitality and the Arc Netherworld Grass that was practically immortal. Of course, Austin could not come into contact with these ¡°peculiar¡± magical beasts right now. In this breeding farm, small magical beasts were the easiest to find. Austin simply went to the small magical beast area. When he touched the Ice Crystal Snake, his cells would evolve to obtain super perceptive ability. When he touched the mutated gecko, his cells evolved to have mimicry abilities. He touched the wolf-dog and evolved to have a superb sense of smell. He touched the black cat and gained night vision while increasing his reaction speed. After one round, Austin¡¯s cells improved significantly. Ding¡­ congratulations host, cell evolution has reached the fourth stage, becoming a stage four life form. ¡°You can open the stats panel to check for more details.¡± With a thought, Austin saw his stats panel. A pale gold, translucent stats panel was projected before Austin¡¯s eyes. [Austin] Race: Human Gender: Male Talent: Cell Evolution Life form Stage: 4 Ability: Fire Resistance Lv2, Fire Control Lv2, Air Control Lv2, Wind Control Lv2, Night Vision, Heat Sensing Ability, 100 times increase in strength, a superb sense of smell¡­ Austin asked in his heart, ¡°System, what does a stage four life form mean?¡± The system replied, ¡°A stage four life form is roughly the same as a tier-two magister.¡± ¡°A stage one life form is a primitive single-cell being that only possesses survival instincts. ¡°Stage two life forms are multicellular beings. There are low-level ones like plants and high-level ones like ants who have simple cognitive abilities. ¡°The most important thing about a stage three life form is that it can think independently, possessing creativity and the perception of three-dimensional space. ¡°Stage four lifeforms possess power that surpasses ordinary lifeforms, such as known ordinary magical beasts.¡± The system gave a rough introduction. What it said was rather complicated and difficult to understand. Simply put, his comprehensive ability could challenge tier-two Vicious Beasts. I see. If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m slightly more confident with the exam. With that thought, Austin rubbed his chin. ¡°Now, I guess I should go to the Magister Association to test my skills.¡± Becoming an apprentice magister was extremely simple. He only needed to register his identity at the Magister Association and pay the registration fee. Then, he would only need to strike out a force of more than 500 kilograms on the magic artifact ¨C magic puppet. In comparison, becoming an official magister was much more difficult and formal. After all, who wouldn¡¯t dream of becoming a magister? Austin left the Magical Beast Breeding Area and rushed towards the Magister Association. ¡­ A building the size of two football fields sat in the middle of the city. The traffic was endless. Around this building was a flat and open square. The square was bustling with people. Austin did not stay there for long and entered the Magister Association. The day before yesterday, his younger sister, Catherine, had participated in the Apprentice Magister Examination. He had accompanied her here then. He did not expect that he would be able to participate in the same assessment a day later. ¡°The registration fee is 1,000 copper coins.¡± A sweet-looking girl at the counter said. Austin took out his wallet and handed over a silver coin. ¡°How expensive,¡± he muttered. The apprentice magister assessment was essentially a self-service assessment, saving labor costs. ¡°Your payment is confirmed,¡± The girl behind the counter continued, ¡°Please show me your identification to confirm your identity.¡± Austin pulled out his identification card and handed it over. ¡°Alright, confirmation is complete.¡± After making sure there was no mistake, the girl handed Austin a white slip of paper. [Area D, Magic Puppet No. 24, 15 in the queue.] ¡°I wonder where all these people come from.¡± Austin shook his head, then followed the directions of the signboards in the hall and headed for Area D. At the moment, a series of magic puppets were placed in the empty spaces of Area D. There was a queue in front of each magic puppet. There would be staff on the side to supervise and prevent the participants from cheating. The entire area was filled with the sounds of punching. Not many people could truly master the power of a magister. Physical training reaped quicker benefits than learning complex magic spells. Essentially, every apprentice magister cultivated their bodies. Austin arrived at the 24th Magic Puppet. There were more than ten people in the queue. The tall, beautiful staff said patiently, ¡°You can use any means to attack. You have three chances, and we will take the highest score out of them.¡± Austin waited patiently, realizing that none of the people in front of him hit the criteria. Most people used physical attacks directly. Their attack power was about a few hundred kilograms, but it did not reach the passing mark of 500 kilograms. Upon seeing this, Austin remained calm and composed, as if the test results of others could not affect him at all. ¡°Sir, it¡¯s your turn.¡± The lovely staff told Austin. Austin walked over to verify his identity again. After confirming that there were no mistakes, he began the assessment. It was his first chance! He took a deep breath and clenched his fists as he looked at the magic puppet in front of him. Kona shook her head. Looking at Austin¡¯s posture, she knew that he was the kind of person who had not undergone systematic training. People who thought they were strong enough came here every day, which Kona had already gotten used to. She only needed to do her job. Austin¡¯s gaze turned cold as he threw a punch. Bang! With a muffled sound, his fist landed solidly on the magic puppet! The results were instant! Suddenly, the entire Area 4 was in an uproar. Chapter 6 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Ding ding ding¡­ The numbers on the magic puppet¡¯s display kept jumping. The pleasant sound felt like gold coins falling in front of him. Austin looked up, unconcerned, and looked at the numbers on the display that had finally stopped. 1000 kilograms! His score was much higher than his sister Catherine¡¯s. Kona rubbed her eyes in disbelief. The newbie in her eyes had managed to surpass the passing mark for an apprentice magister. Everyone gasped at the sight of this. ¡°1000 kilograms? Wow, it exceeded the standard of an apprentice magister right in his first try.¡± ¡°Congratulations to that handsome guy. He¡¯s going to be an apprentice magister from now on.¡± ¡°He seems so young to become a magister. He must have a limitless future.¡± Austin looked at Kona and asked, ¡°I still got two more tries, right?¡± Kona hurriedly recorded down Austin¡¯s first result and nodded. ¡°Yes, you have two more tries.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Austin shook his head, twisted his wrist, and loosened up his muscles. Cracking sounds could be heard from the various joints of his body. The muscles that were exposed outside his clothes were like strong and vigorous dragons that swelled up as he moved. ¡°Generally speaking, the first result displayed on the magic puppet will be the highest out of the three chances.¡± ¡°After all, the first strike is always the most potent one. If it fails, it will do worse on the next try.¡± ¡°Though there is no lack of those who can follow up and improve their results.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take a look. Anyway, with his current results, he¡¯s guaranteed to become an apprentice magister.¡± Every applicant now focused their attention on Austin. An apprentice magister coming through every other day was not too rare. Still, it was extremely rare to have more than one person becoming an intern magister among the same batch of candidates. Sometimes, they would look up to others and motivate themselves to push through their limits. Austin took a deep breath and clenched his fists again. This time, Austin was prepared to use ten times the power. If he used his 100 times power, a single punch would be equivalent to 50,000 kilograms of strength. Not mentioning whether the magic puppet could withstand it, Austin believed that his fist and arm would be crippled. Therefore, Austin prepared to increase his strength by ten times first. Kona watched Austin closely. His posture was wrong! His point of leverage was wrong! He did not use any strength in his waist! As the saying goes, a long illness makes a doctor. She had seen too many fist power assessments of people who had stepped into the ranks of magisters and more or less knew the technique to exert force properly. In the eyes of a layman like Kona, Austin¡¯s movements were full of loopholes. But how could such a person be able to unleash strength comparable to an apprentice magister? It¡¯s probably his innate divine strength¡­ Kona thought to herself. In the next moment, Kona¡¯s pupils constricted. On his second punch, with just the second punch, Austin had begun to grasp the correct technique. His feet, waist, and spine slowly adjusted, until they combined and coordinated to utilize the strength in his limbs. How could that be? Just how? She would not have known that Austin had indeed never gone through any systematic training. However, after the evolution of Austin¡¯s cells, his control over his body had reached the highest level. Like a cat, no matter what position it fell from, it could adjust its body and land steadily on all fours. This was Austin¡¯s instinct at work when he evolved to become a stage 4 life form. It was the optimal use of the body! Austin¡¯s second punch was ferocious, like a lion pouncing upon awakening. Bang! An ear-splitting boom erupted, accompanied by a large wave of white air. A fist that was ten times stronger smashed heavily onto the magic puppet. The numbers on the monitor jumped crazily in units of thousands. ¡°Ding ding ding ding ding ding¡­¡± When the numbers stopped, the strength of the magic puppet¡¯s fist was displayed as¡ª 12,500 kilograms! ¡°Gasp!¡± Everyone gasped as their jaws dropped. ¡°10,000 kilograms of fist power! This is already the standard strength of an actual magister, right?¡± ¡°He¡¯s too strong! I can¡¯t believe that I would actually encounter a freak with 12,500 kilograms of force.¡± ¡°Good Lord, I seriously suspect that he¡¯s pretending to be a pig to prey on a tiger1.¡± ¡°Is he a magister who came to the Beginner¡¯s Village to show off?¡± Everyone discussed animatedly. ¡°Unbelievable.¡± Kona shook her head. ¡°According to the system, he¡¯s a newcomer without any formal registration.¡± ¡°Wow, I¡¯m convinced.¡± ¡°That¡¯s dope mate.¡± ¡°So inspirational man. This person is probably here to amaze everyone today.¡± The crowd gasped in admiration. Austin withdrew his fist and shook his palm. The force of the punch, which was more than 10,000 kilograms, had not only rocked the magic puppet. His fist was also numb from the impact, and his entire arm was almost dislocated. If I really increased my strength by a hundred times, my arm might be ruined. Austin thought to himself. He seemed calm while everyone else was in shock. 10,000 kilograms of force was expected. ¡°You have a third attempt,¡± Kona said as she swallowed her saliva. Austin nodded and punched a third time. 12,500 kilograms again! Compared to the results of the second attempt, the third punch seemed to pale in comparison. However, the score of the second try was shocking enough. After the three punches, Austin asked, ¡°Am I an apprentice magister now?¡± Kona nodded respectfully. ¡°Sir, please follow me.¡± ¡°After you register as a magister, you will be an apprentice magister from today onwards.¡± An apprentice magister with 10,000 fist power! The lady at the registration counter looked up at Austin in shock. ¡°Sir, there¡¯s an official magister exam coming up. Would you like to participate?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Austin nodded without hesitation. ¡°Alright, the official magister exam registration is free. I¡¯m going to register for you now.¡± ¡°This is the registration notice. You can bring it back and take a look.¡± The registration lady pushed a small booklet through the window. There was a name card on the booklet with the name Lucy. ¡°This is?¡± Austin gave the register girl a puzzled look. Lucy blushed and explained softly, ¡°This is my name card. My contact number is on it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving work at six in the evening. If you have any queries, you can contact me.¡± Austin was slightly startled as he nodded and kept the name card in his pocket. With the manual, he left. The booklet recorded the time and location of the official magister exam and the things to take note of. Perhaps to reduce the mortality rate of apprentice magisters, the booklet included the details of the vicious beasts in the Vicious Beast Town. The introduction was very comprehensive as the details of the beasts included their weight, height, habits, and weaknesses. After all, the reason why Vicious Beast Town existed was to allow the apprentice magisters to have actual combat experience with the Vicious Beasts, molding them through the experience of life and death, not sending these apprentices to die. It was never easy to nurture any apprentice magisters. Chapter 7 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Black Scaled Horned Python, Steel Saber Bull, Shadow Cat, Corrosive Hound, Exploding Arrow Porcupine¡­¡± Austin read the manual word for word. He memorized everything about the beasts of the town by heart. Fortunately, they were all low-level beasts. There was not a single mid-level beast. It was a dilapidated town that the Magister Association had built with magitek. From time to time, experts from the Magister Association or the royal family would capture low-level vicious beasts and throw them into the Vicious Beast Town. Then, apprentice magisters would be pushed into the town to train and become true magisters. As a matter of fact, the hunting area was ten times more dangerous than Vicious Beast Town. In the hunting area, there was no protection, no army to guard it, and no designated area with only low-level vicious beasts. Let alone low-level beasts, even mid-level and high-level beasts could appear there! After reading the manual, Austin sat on a bench outside the Magister Association and rested his eyes. ¡°Three days. Today is the first day. I need to make full use of the time and spend it on the blade. ¡°The most important thing to consider now is how I¡¯m going to attack. ¡°The 50-ton punch is my trump card. It should not be used unless it is a life-and-death situation. ¡°After I use it, my arm will be crippled. Even though I¡¯ve touched gecko and my cells have evolved to possess the regenerative ability, it¡¯s only level-one.¡± With an Lv1 regeneration ability, it would take a long time to regrow another arm. ¡°I haven¡¯t become a magister yet, so body cultivation techniques won¡¯t work for me. ¡°Magiteks are too expensive. With my savings, I can¡¯t buy much.¡± All the money at home had been spent on the equipment for his sister, Catherine. Magister equipment was expensive! ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll have to find another way¡­¡± Austin thought about it for a while and decided to focus on fire control as his main weapon. If he wanted to control fire, he had to first produce flames. The temperature of an ordinary flint was insufficient. He needed at least a fire magic canister. ¡°With the fire canisters fueled by fire magic, the temperature of the flames can reach 1,300 degrees Celsius. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll use my air control ability to create an oxygen-rich environment to aid in the burning, increasing the temperature of the flames by two to three thousand degrees.¡± Flames at two to three thousand degrees were terrifying enough. He could make use of his fire control ability as a powerful weapon when he needed to. Austin did as he thought. He hailed a cab and went to the trade district in Faye City to buy a bunch of fire magic canisters. He first bought cheap magic canisters for practice. Those better-quality magic canisters were much more expensive, easily costing thousands of copper coins. Still, he bought a few as backups. After buying the magic canisters, Austin did not dare to test them at home. He was afraid that he might accidentally burn the house down. Austin found a barren clearing for his practice. He held the magic canister and spun it with one hand. After spinning a few rounds, Austin threw his palm forward and pressed down on the magic circle sealing the fire element at the same time. Fire control! Whoosh¡ª The flames from the magic canister turned into a line of fire that burned forward. ¡°Time to burn more vigorously.¡± Austin raised his other hand and pushed it toward the hand holding the magic jar. Air Control! Boom! With the addition of the rich oxygen, the line of fire seemed to explode as it grew by a few times. The flames became purer as they burned more vigorously with increasing temperatures. This scene was similar to a high-level magister practicing his fire magic. It was only the beginning, but the novelty, the mystery, the incredulity, was enough to lift the mood and let out a shout. ¡°Success!¡± Austin exclaimed happily. All that remained was how to make this move look more awesome and skilled. Austin practiced again and again with the cheap magic canister. From time to time, a ball of fire would appear on this barren land, burning fiercely in midair. The sky gradually darkened. It was almost time for his father to get off work. Austin decided to test the power of the better quality magic canister. He found a metal pipe and placed it on the ground. The exquisite and gorgeous magic canister that sealed the Level 2 fire magic spell rotated a few times in Austin¡¯s palm. Ding! The seal on the magic jar was broken. Austin pushed his palm forward, and a stream of blazing fire spewed out toward the metal pipe. The high temperature and the beam of light brightened the dim environment. The fire roared, and the high temperature of two to three thousand degrees immediately turned the metal pipe red. After the metal pipe turned red-hot, the color turned bright yellow soon after. Slowly, the hard metal pipe began to melt, turning into a stream of metallic liquid that flowed on the ground. Austin stopped controlling the air and fire and looked at the burning molten metal on the ground with satisfaction. He was immensely satisfied with the power of this move. ¡°Unless it¡¯s a vicious beast with a high fire resistance, how can ordinary beasts withstand my flames?¡± Austin put away the hot magic canister and left. To the east of Faye City, in the magical beast breeding area. Austin met up with his father, who got off work, and they walked home together. After another tiring day, the men returned home. When they opened the door and saw the woman cooking a table of good food, they felt that it was worth it no matter how hard they had to work. Catherine did not go to the Magister Academy today. In fact, after she passed the apprentice magister test, she could already graduate successfully. Catherine prepared to stay at home and cultivate her magic before taking the official magister exam. ¡°Dad, brother, you¡¯ve worked hard for the day. Quickly sit down and eat.¡± Catherine, the one who helped her mother serve the dishes, called out sweetly. Austin and Dearka took their seats. Katherine opened two bottles of beer for them. Dearka smiled and said in surprise, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Catherine these two days? She would never allow me to drink in the past.¡± Catherine rolled her eyes at her father and said, ¡°If you¡¯re not drinking, I¡¯m giving it all to my brother.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll drink, I¡¯ll drink!¡± Dearka quickly grabbed the bottle before Catherine could take it away. Austin¡¯s heart felt heavy. He knew why Catherine had been acting rather strangely these past two days. The mortality rate of the official magister exam was high. Catherine had just passed the examinations to become an apprentice magister, and she was now taking the examinations to become an official magister. A feeling of uncertainty must have gripped her heart. Chapter 8 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios It was two days before the official magister exam. In addition to having at least 500 kilograms of strength, one would also need to cultivate magic power to become a magister. Of course, the apprentice magister examination did not test one¡¯s magic power. At the level of apprentice magister, their magic power was still too weak, which could not play a decisive role in battle. Only the following magister examinations would begin to test the amount of magic power. To become a magister, he had to manifest his magic power into a magic core. The next step was to become a tier-two magister who could use magic cores to support his recovery and attack. Tier 3 required the integration of the monster core into the body. Tier 4 required the magic core to become solidified. This was the cultivation method after becoming a magister. Every path was incomparably arduous and lengthy. At the moment, Catherine could only stay down to earth. One step at a time. She would first practice the channeling method and accumulate her magic power before anything else. After dinner, Austin went to take a bath. Austin did not work today, but he had been busy all day and was rather tired. As he soaked in the warm tub, Austin¡¯s entire body relaxed. His pores relaxed, and sleepiness arose. After a while, the system notification sounded again. ¡°Ding¡­ host is taking a bath. Your cells have evolved and obtained the ability to breathe underwater.¡± Austin, who was initially a little sleepy, immediately perked up. Breathe underwater? ¡°You mean to breathe in the water like a fish?¡± Austin immediately gave it a try. He submerged his head completely into the water and did not deliberately hold his breath. Soon, Austin realized that his breathing in the water was completely unobstructed. He did not even need to think about holding his breath. ¡°This is so amazing! I don¡¯t have gills, so am I breathing through my skin?¡± As he pondered, Austin tried to find a scientific explanation. But he soon gave up. This world itself was the most unscientific existence! Why try to explain the unknown with limited knowledge? ¡°This ability to breathe in water is something else. It¡¯s very suitable for swimming and bathing.¡± Austin dived back into the water, soaking his entire body in warm water. After the bath, Austin returned to his room. He continued to experiment around as he tried to make his cells evolve. Austin sprawled on the floor and began doing push-ups. One, two, three¡­ Austin¡¯s arms kept pushing and bending as he quickly finished a hundred push-ups. ¡°Ding¡­ host is doing push-ups. Cell evolution. Increase strength by 0.5 kilograms.¡± When Austin heard that, he realized that doing push-ups indeed promoted cell evolution and increased his strength. Although this growth was minimal at best, it was still one way to train. ¡°Normal push-ups are too easy. Time to do weighted push-ups.¡± Austin increased the difficulty by carrying the metal plates that Catherine had used to work on her strength on his back. Austin put on a total of one hundred kilograms as he laid on the floor and continued doing push-ups. ¡°Ding¡­ host is doing push-ups. Cell evolution. Increase strength by 0.5 kilograms.¡± ¡°Ding¡­ host is doing push-ups. Cell evolution. Increase strength by 0.5 kilograms.¡± ¡°Ding¡­ host is doing push-ups. Cell evolution. Increase strength by 0.5 kilograms.¡± ¡­ The system notifications rang continuously while Austin¡¯s strength increased at a visible rate. Austin only ended his training after midnight. After removing the metal plates, Austin felt his limbs go numb and sore. Exhausted, he fell asleep. The next day. Austin got up as usual and went to work with his father at the East District¡¯s magical beasts farm. After his father entered the feeding area, Austin sneaked out again to look for opportunities to train. Austin began training his body resistance. The more hits his body took, the more his cells would evolve and become more resilient. It would not be a joke that he would be invulnerable to all weapons when he trained enough. In addition, by coming into contact with the Long-horned and other beetles, his cells could also evolve and increase Austin¡¯s physical strength. Austin could make his epidermal cells harden and resist unavoidable attacks. Offense! Defense! Austin made full use of his remaining time to train, train, and train. On the third day, it was finally time for the official magister exam. Dearka took half a day off. After breakfast, the family sent Catherine to the official magister exam. The rendezvous point was at the military transport station in the northern district. The latest timing was nine o¡¯clock, so she must not be late. Otherwise, they would disqualify her from the exam. Austin drank his soy milk and ate his fried dough sticks calmly. Dearka and his wife reminded Catherine repeatedly. Who knew that their son Austin would be taking the exam too? ¡°Have you heard? The Phoenix successfully broke through to become a tier-five magister at three in the morning today with the title, ¡®Nirvana¡¯!¡± ¡°Around five o¡¯clock, the Phoenix went to the Frozen Mountain Range alone and beheaded a monarch ranked beast, the Frost Crocodile Dragon.¡± ¡°I heard that he is going to extract the magic crystal of the Frost Crocodile Dragon and grant it to the most outstanding person among the juniors. That person will be able to use it to consolidate a magic core and breakthrough to become a tier-two magister.¡± On the way, everyone was talking about the newly promoted tier-five magister, ¡®Nirvana¡¯. Currently, there had yet to be a tier-six magister in the world, so the best experts were tier five magisters. With only a few tier-six magisters in the world, tier-five magisters were the strongest and unrivaled expert below a tier-six magister. If a country had a new tier-five magister, they would definitely publicize it to improve their status and global influence. ¡°Extreme Frost Crocodile Dragon, magic crystal¡­¡± Catherine was also watching television with a look of envy. The magic crystals of vicious beasts were like the magic cores of magisters. Therefore, only commander-rank beasts and above could condense magic crystals. Monarch rank soul crystals like the Frost Crocodile Dragon were even more precious. He did not expect that the newly promoted tier-five magister, Phoenix, would be charitable enough to announce his wish to bestow upon the best junior magister. With a monarch rank soul crystal, it would probably be easy to break through from a tier-two magister to a tier-three magister and condense a physical soul core. He wouldn¡¯t have to worry about his magic core becoming unstable. ¡°Alright, time to stop watching. These are too far away. ¡°We should look to pass the official Magister exam first.¡± Dearka stroked Catherine¡¯s head and smiled warmly. ¡°Okay.¡± Catherine nodded. She was wearing a combat suit from the Vulcan series, made of rare material, Magic Silk. It was tightened against her youthful and energetic body, making her legs look exceptionally long. On one side of her thigh was a short sword, and on the other side was the Type Two Vulcan Magick pistol. On her back was a tactical backpack containing the Vulcan series Magick Shotgun Chapter 9 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios It was difficult for ordinary families to afford such equipment. However, for Catherine, a good combat suit could increase her chances of survival by a large margin. Hence, the 2,000 silver coins were worth spending. ¡°Dad, Mom, Brother, it¡¯s time to go.¡± Catherine wore a combat suit and tied her hair into a high ponytail, adding to her youthful beauty. ¡°Alright. My daughter has grown up.¡± The couple¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears as they nodded repeatedly. The examiners would not wait for anyone. The family set off early. Austin was dressed in dry clothes and carried a traveling backpack. Dearka even asked Austin why he had to carry a bag. He dealt with it with an excuse. The four of them went to the military transport station in the northern district. The current transportation station no longer operated with trains from before the apocalypse. After the apocalypse, vicious beasts flooded the world. The once well-developed land transportation network from the past no longer existed. The city where the Magister Association was guarding was like an isolated island out in the sea. Ordinary people could only stay in a city for the rest of their lives. After the hard work of the Human Faction, they had managed to open up a few key transport routes as transportation lifelines. All the major checkpoints in the transportation route became primarily guarded by the army to prevent the beasts from disrupting the transportation lifeline. Therefore, it would cost a lot to leave the city and travel to other cities. They arrived at the military transport station. There was an endless stream of cars and a sea of people. This year, the upper echelons of the Thunder Magister Guild were due to attend and observe the official magister exam. It was unknown who leaked the news. As a result, the number of apprentice magisters participating in the exam increased exponentially, reaching an unprecedented number of over a thousand people. The royal family sent soldiers to maintain order and did not allow those sending off the apprentice magisters to loiter around the train station. After family and friends sent the apprentice magister in, they had to leave immediately. Austin sat in the car and saw the train station in the distance. Elite soldiers stood on guard at their heavily guarded post. Most of the apprentices were wearing combat uniforms. They were armed with knives and guns and could only enter the station through identification. ¡°We can only send you until here. No parking is allowed ahead,¡± the parents said reluctantly. ¡°Okay.¡± Catherine turned to look at her parents, her eyes filled with reluctance to part. She then turned to Austin and grinned, revealing her canine teeth. ¡°Brother, I heard that there are many beauties in this exam. I can help you look out for anyone suitable to be my sister-in-law.¡± ¡°Go away.¡± Hearing this, Austin poked Catherine¡¯s nose and said snappishly, ¡°Stop spouting nonsense.¡± ¡°Goodbye!¡± Catherine opened the car door, waved to her family, and headed for the military transport station. Dearka closed his eyes and clenched his fists as if he was holding back his reluctance. His wife rolled down the window and shouted, ¡°Catherine, it¡¯s alright if you really can¡¯t pass the exam! Remember to be careful! Protect yourself!¡± This time, Catherine did not turn back and signaled an ¡®okay¡¯ gesture. She grasped the small fortune bag Austin had given her and took a deep breath. ¡°Brother, I know you¡¯ll be my guardian!¡± The parents were about to leave when Austin called for them to stop. He turned around and walked towards Catherine. Dearka and his wife asked in surprise, ¡°Son, where are you going?¡± Austin carried his backpack and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m going to take the official magister exam, of course.¡± ¡°What?¡± Dearka and his wife were stunned. They wondered if they had heard it wrong or if there was something amiss with their son¡¯s head. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ taking the exam?¡± Dearka and his wife exclaimed in disbelief. ¡°Are you crazy? ¡°The official magister exam can only be taken by an apprentice magister. There is no way ordinary people like you can take it. ¡°Stop fooling around and get back in the car.¡± Austin pulled out the registration manual from his backpack and handed it to his parents. ¡°I¡¯m not messing around.¡± He smiled with grace. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest. I¡¯ve already passed the apprentice magister¡¯s test behind your backs. I just never told you. ¡°For one thing, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be worried. ¡°Secondly, I don¡¯t want to increase the financial burden on the family.¡± His family could not afford another Vulcan II combat suit that cost 2,000 silver coins! ¡°Son, you¡­¡± His mother stared at Austin. She was proud, worried, and bewildered at the same time. Austin had no magister-level talent judging from a test in the past, so how did he pass the apprentice magister test then? Besides, they only had two children. If something happened to both of them during the exam, how were they supposed to cope with that? After all, the mortality rate in the official magister exam was not low. His mother was reluctant to let Austin attend. Dearka¡¯s hand trembled a little as he pulled out a crumpled cigarette from his pocket. He wanted to smoke before realizing that he did not bring a flint. ¡°Dad.¡± Austin pulled out a flint as if it was a magic trick and lit the cigarette for his father. Dearka took a deep breath and glanced at Austin silently. He said in a deep voice, ¡°Dear, we should let him go.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Our children have all grown up. Just let him go. ¡°A good man does not fear battle.¡± Her mother hesitated for a moment before she finally agreed. An old woman who happened to be parked next to them overheard the conversation and said, ¡°I¡¯ll say, you two have two magisters in the family. You should be proud of them.¡± Indeed, two magisters in the family! Austin¡¯s mother still couldn¡¯t hold it in and burst into tears. ¡°Ha, no good man is afraid of a fight.¡± Austin exhaled a long breath and walked toward the transport station. He went into the station to check and verify his identity before entering the waiting hall. The waiting hall became filled with the apprentice magisters who were taking this exam. They were either standing or sitting, and those who knew each other spoke softly. When Catherine came in, she felt lonely. Everyone around her was all apprentice magisters. No one was weak here, and they could only be better than her. ¡°Brother¡­¡± Catherine held the small fortune bag tightly in her hand. Just then, a hand patted her shoulder. Catherine was startled as she sensed a familiar aura. She turned around and saw a familiar face. ¡°Brother!?¡± Catherine was surprised and confused. ¡°Wait, why are you here?¡± Chapter 10 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Wait a minute! There must be a mistake somewhere!¡± Catherine felt her mind go blank. It was the exam grounds for official magisters. Why was Austin here? ¡°Brother, where did you come from?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be here. I can bring you out now.¡± Catherine grabbed Austin¡¯s arm and tried to lead him out. Unexpectedly, with Catherine¡¯s strength as an apprentice magister, she could not pull Austin away at all. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Austin stood on the spot and stroked Catherine¡¯s little head. He smiled and said, ¡°Silly girl, I can come in because I¡¯m also an apprentice magister.¡± ¡°Besides, I also applied for this year¡¯s official magister exam.¡± ¡°What?! Brother, you¡¯ve become an apprentice magister?¡± Catherine¡¯s almond-shaped eyes widened in disbelief as she sized up Austin. She tried to look for signs of lying from Austin¡¯s face. Austin was serious. ¡°Is it that difficult to become an apprentice magister?¡± he asked. Catherine¡¯s face darkened. It was rather Versailles1 to be told such a thing by a brother who did not even have the talent to become a magister. ¡°Even if you become an apprentice magister, it won¡¯t work.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have a combat suit, no weapons, and you¡¯ve barely even prepared. Isn¡¯t this nonsense?¡± ¡°Do you have any idea how difficult this exam will be?¡± The level of participation was unprecedented. Since the higher echelon of the Thunder Magister Guild would come, the difficulty would surely increase exponentially. Austin wore a camouflage suit to take the exam, making it as though he was on a field trip. Austin smiled casually and said, ¡°How have I not made sufficient preparations?¡± ¡°Is this huge bag here worthless?¡± Austin shrugged his shoulders and weighed his backpack. ¡°Brother, what did you bring?¡± Catherine was curious about what Austin had brought. He did not have a combat uniform or a magic weapon. What else could he bring? She pulled open the zipper of his backpack and took a look. Catherine was dumbfounded. She stood there like a statue. Inside Austin¡¯s backpack were pots, bowls, basins, firewood, oil, salt, and some fire magic canisters. Even worse, a sleeping bag! Catherine looked at her brother, speechless. Without another word, she grabbed onto her brother and prepared to leave the train station. ¡°How are you here for the exam? You¡¯re clearly here for an excursion. What nonsense!¡± Catherine was both annoyed and amused as she wanted to lecture Austin. However, she did not notice that her apprehension had eased a lot. Austin stood like a nail in the ground as he would not budge against Catherine. ¡°I heard that some of the Vicious Beast meat is pretty good. It¡¯s not often that we can go to Vicious Beast Town, so we should at least have a taste.¡± Catherine puffed up her cheeks and fumed, ¡°You eating Vicious Beasts? I think Vicious Beasts are the ones eating you!¡± ¡°Quickly leave. Mom and Dad only have one son. Stop fooling around, okay?¡± Catherine became anxious. Yet, at the same time, she also realized something strange. As an apprentice magister, she could not even make Austin budge. Could it be¡­? Did her brother really become an apprentice magister? However, even if he did become an apprentice magister, he did not have any magitek or a combat uniform. He would still be offering his life to the beasts if he went to the town! At this moment, outside the transport station. High-class carriages stopped one after another. The carriage door opened, and men and women in magic robes, moon-white robes, or mottled combat uniforms stepped out. Regardless of age and sex, all of them wore golden medals without exception. Tier-three magisters! All of them were tier-three magisters! As for the elder who came down from the most luxurious carriage in the middle, he wore a medal made of purple gold in front of him, which shone with four stars. The purple-gold medal represented a tier-five magister! Apart from this medal, there was also a golden lightning badge that was equally dazzling. The soldiers stationed at the transport station stood at attention with a loud bang. In the face of so many experts, these soldiers saluted and bowed with great honor. ¡°Please come in, President.¡± A royal expert with a royal badge who was a tier-four magister led the way for this elder. ¡°Well, I deeply appreciate your trouble, Brother Cass.¡± The elder held his walking stick and nodded with a smile as he walked in front. The other tier-three mages and magisters followed behind him. The waiting area. The noisy crowd quieted down when they heard the commotion outside the transport station. Catherine¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Oh no, could it be the examiner?¡± Under the dazzling sunlight, a group of experts wearing the Magister Guild medals walked in with a majestic aura. Everyone gasped. ¡°The royal family¡¯s expert, Cass!¡± ¡°Martian Hunter Ankti!¡± ¡°And Miss Hill from the Faye City Chamber of Commerce.¡± ¡°Wow, they are all at least tier-three magisters.¡± ¡°These are all big shots who could shake the city with a stomp of their feet.¡± The apprentice magisters exclaimed. ¡°Wait, look at that old man.¡± ¡°His purple-gold medal? H-he¡¯s a tier-five magister!¡± ¡°Gasp, he really is a tier-five magister. Furthermore, he¡¯s wearing the badge of the Thunder Magister Guild. As expected, the upper echelons of the Thunder Magister Guild have arrived.¡± ¡°The rumors are not wrong.¡± After a moment of silence, the waiting hall exploded into a commotion. The elder was the spark that had ignited the commotion. They whispered to one another as they discussed animatedly. Catherine was the only one who looked increasingly worried. With so many big shots here, it was impossible to leave even if they wanted to. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Catherine.¡± Austin patted Catherine¡¯s head and said softly, ¡°Since we¡¯re already here, let¡¯s take things as they come. Furthermore, you think your brother is an unreliable person? You have to know that your brother never does anything that he isn¡¯t confident of.¡± ¡°What? No!¡± Catherine rolled her eyes at Austin and said, ¡°What happened today makes you unreliable already!¡± ¡°Forget it. When the exam starts, we¡¯ll form a team. You only have to follow me closely.¡± Catherine acted like a younger sister protecting her elder brother. Austin laughed. ¡°Sure. You protect me, and I¡¯ll treat you to a barbecue.¡± As the siblings were chatting, the expert of the royal family, Cass, slowly walked forward. His straight posture was like a spear as he swept his gaze over everyone. In an instant, a grave aura emanated from his body and swept across the surroundings. The noisy crowd quietened down almost immediately. Chapter 11 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios One who could suppress the entire crowd. Such was the power of a tier-three magister! The intense aura that erupted from Cass¡¯s body was unmistakably something tempered through hundreds of battles after killing countless vicious beasts and enemies. To put it bluntly, all the apprentices present were rookies. How could they withstand Cass¡¯s terrorizing aura? As for Austin, the pressure of Cass¡¯s powerful aura had allowed his cells to evolve again. ¡°Ding¡­ The host has received external mental stimulation. Cell evolution. Obtained the abilities: Intimidation Lv.1 and Deterrence Lv.1!¡± ¡°Four tier-three magisters and one tier-four magister? I feel like shaking hands with them and getting to know them!¡± When other people saw the experts, they were in awe and looked up to them. But Austin was different. In Austin¡¯s eyes, these powerful magisters were like hot cakes that he wished he could pounce on them and take a bite. ¡°Too bad I¡¯m not familiar with them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s certainly unrealistic to spend a long time connecting with these experts without exposing my system and abilities.¡± Austin sighed and lamented. There was still an enormous gap between him and a tier-three magister. It would take a long time to initiate body contact through shaking hands to evolve his cells. Austin certainly could not hold hands with any of them for long periods. Unless¡­ Austin¡¯s eyes lit up as he stared at Miss Hika. A thought flashed across his mind¡ªhit on her! Study for the rise of the nation. Wait no, hit on her for the evolution of my cells! As a tier-three magister, Miss Hika was naturally sharp with her senses. She sensed an intense gaze on her and discovered Austin soon. ¡°Wearing such ordinary clothes for the exam? ¡°He¡¯s either a fool or an arrogant fool.¡± Hika shook her head and looked away. It was clear that she treated Austin as a foolish and arrogant lecher. Cass waited for a moment after silencing the crowd with his aura before speaking slowly. ¡°I¡¯m sure many of you have received the news.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The person beside me is the branch president of the Thunder Magister Guild, Mr. Chuan Yi!¡± The branch president of the Thunder Magister Guild! Upon hearing Cass¡¯s introduction, everyone present was shocked even though they had already guessed Elder Chuan¡¯s identity. Cass continued concisely, ¡°President Chuan came here in search of some fresh blood for the Thunder Magister Guild.¡± ¡°So I won¡¯t beat around the bush anymore. The difficulty of this official Magister examination has increased a little bit!¡± The increase in the difficulty of the exam caused a commotion among the apprentice magisters. Cass continued, ¡°I¡¯m sure all of you are aware of the details of the magister exam. Survive the Vicious Beast Town overnight and hunt down at least one low-level Vicious Beast.¡± ¡°And now, we have thrown four mid-level vicious beasts into the town and one injured high-level vicious beast.¡± Mid-level vicious beast! High-level vicious beast! Everyone gasped. To begin with, the mortality rate in the official magister exam was not low. Now, there were four intermediate-level beasts and one advanced-level beast. Was that not the same as sending them to their graves? Some of the apprentice magisters could not help but feel a little resentful. Cass snorted, ¡°The exam has not begun. Those who are afraid of death and want to withdraw can scram now!¡± Some whispered. Some looked hesitant. Some remained silent. After a while, a few people left the transport station. Cass did not bother about them as he sneered and continued, ¡°This time, anyone who can kill the mid-level vicious beasts will be accepted into the Thunder Magister Guild. ¡°If you can kill that injured high-level vicious beast, you will be accepted into the Thunder Magister Guild¡¯s main hall, where you will also meet the Thunder Magister Guild¡¯s head¡ª Thunder Magister Lord Ray!¡± Boom! The crowd was in an uproar. Everyone became excited as their enthusiasm shot up. A chance to meet a tier-five magister from the Thunder Magister Guild! Was there anything more exciting than this? The Thunder Magister Guild¡¯s tier-five thunder magister was one of the three tier-five magisters in the nation, and one of the world¡¯s top ten experts! With such a peerless existence, just meeting him once was enough for anyone to boast to his descendants for a lifetime. ¡°I feel sorry for the few who quit out of the fear of death,¡± said Cass. President Chuan, who was holding a walking stick, coughed and said loudly, ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited.¡± ¡°Compared to meeting the Thunder Magister, your life is more important. So you must weigh your abilities and act accordingly. ¡°Those four mid-level vicious beasts and the injured high-level vicious beasts could only move within a limited range. ¡°If you encounter them, but you lack the means to kill them, it would be best for you to retreat and save yourselves.¡± Staying alive was more important than anything else! Austin had a better impression of this amiable elder. President Chuan had made the hot-blooded trainees regain their composure and reconsider their options. Mid-level Vicious Beasts were much stronger than any low-level Vicious Beasts. Moreover, there was one high-level beast in the mix. Although the high-level beast was injured, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. A dozen or so apprentice magisters might not be enough to kill a high-level vicious beast. ¡°Alright, without further ado, let us head over to Vicious Beast Town.¡± Without saying much, President Chuan and a few proctors led the way and walked through the transportation station onto the railway platform. Transport stations and platforms had all been modified to defend against the beasts. Of course, this place was safe since it was still within Faye City. Outside Faye City. Austin noticed that a magic barrier had been erected on both sides of the tracks. Every once in a while, there would be a military checkpoint in order to provide timely support for unexpected situations along the railway line. This was still just a defensive measure. The transport vehicle itself was armed to the teeth. Austin and his sister, Catherine, and the others crossed the transport station onto the platform. They were all dumbfounded when they saw the transport vehicle parked beside the platform. Everyone gasped with their eyes filled with shock. It was the first time Austin had seen a ¡°transport vehicle¡± after the apocalypse. At first glance, it was simply a monstrous steel dragon! Chapter 12 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The transport vehicle underwent a large-scale modification. To reduce their attractiveness to Vicious Beasts and increase their defensive capabilities, they had added all kinds of hard bulletproof armor. Other than that, the surface consisted of various kinds of dragon-type armor. Through the clever use of all kinds of beast armor, the entire transport truck became disguised as a dragon-type beast! No wonder Austin and the others were shocked. At first glance, the transport vehicle looked like a giant steel dragon lying across the tracks. It appeared ferocious and mighty, enough to intimidate most beasts. Catherine exclaimed, ¡°Is this our transport vehicle? I thought it was the corpse of a dragon-type beast the first time I saw it.¡± ¡°Yes, it is,¡± Austin replied as he admired the vehicle. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that the royal family used this method to get transport vehicles to travel in no man¡¯s land.¡± The so-called no man¡¯s land was the region beyond the hunting area. Both magisters and ordinary people lived in a safe city. The outskirts of each city were the hunting area. There would often be hunting teams formed by magisters that would go out to hunt Vicious Beasts. Beyond the hunting area was the deserted no man¡¯s land. There were high-level vicious beasts everywhere, making it even more dangerous. And the most dangerous place was still the Life Forbidden Zone. As long as it was a territory occupied by monarch rank or emperor rank vicious beasts, humans would classify them as Life Forbidden Zones. Even the unrivaled powerhouses of each country would not enter the Forbidden Life Zone unless necessary. Catherine asked, ¡°Are the transport vehicles modified to this extent to deceive those beasts?¡± Austin nodded and said, ¡°Those beasts with low intelligence will see the modified transport vehicles as dragons.¡± ¡°And the rumbling noises of the vehicle would make most of them believe that the roaming transport vehicles are powerful and terrifying dragon-type beasts.¡± It was a practical method to reduce harassment by the beasts. In the vicious beasts¡¯ social system, people had long discovered that they had a system of hierarchy that was even more stringent and rigid than humans. A high-level beast had absolute authority over low-level beasts. Therefore, those commander rank, monarch rank, and even emperor rank vicious beasts could start beast tides of different sizes! The ones that posed the greatest threat to humans were always the high-level beasts. Humans had also been working hard to nurture super experts, persevering with the execution plan targeting high-level beasts. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not waste any more time. Please enter the ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯ according to the carriages in your manual.¡± Cass announced. Everyone was allocated their carriage number during the registration phase. As for the seat number¡­? It¡¯s all standing tickets, so there were none. After all, in an apocalyptic era, the transportation cost and space of every Fire Dragon vehicle were very precious. There was no extra space to install seats. ¡°Brother, I¡¯m in the sixth carriage.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m also in the sixth carriage.¡± Austin signed up on a different day as his sister, and he got assigned to a carriage instantly. Yet, they still got allocated to the same carriage. The apprentice magisters began streaming into the transport vehicle. Mr. Chuan, Cass, and the other tier-three magisters split themselves to the front and back of the ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯; They were responsible for the safety of the journey. There was an assistant examiner in each carriage who was responsible for explaining the specifics of the exam. The assistant examiner in the sixth carriage was a tier two magister named White. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve all seen the contents of the exam in the manual,¡± said White. ¡°Now, allow me to reiterate the details.¡± Austin turned his attention to White and began to listen to his explanation. ¡°Everyone knows that only by hunting low-level vicious beasts can you pass the exam.¡± ¡°But how do you prove that you killed the beast? That¡¯s why you collect the tracking device on the beast.¡± ¡°Tracking device?¡± Someone raised the question immediately. ¡°May I ask what the tracking device is, Mr. White?¡± White pulled out a thumb-sized cylindrical tube from his pocket. ¡°This is the tracking device,¡± he said. ¡°All the beasts in the town of Vicious Beasts. That¡¯s right, all of them have this tracking device.¡± ¡°These beasts are not only for your assessment but also for researchers to study.¡± Everyone knew that the Vicious Beasts in Vicious Beast Town were there for the magisters to hunt. They knew that the Vicious Beasts in Vicious Beast Town were there for the magisters to hunt, but they did not know the other purpose. Indeed. In the era of wild beasts, humans had done a lot of research on them to defeat them. ¡°To keep track of the whereabouts of the beasts at all times, the experts of the royal family used this tracking device after capturing the beasts.¡± White raised the device in his hand and showed it to everyone. ¡°The location of the tracker is usually located at the head or neck of the beast. After you kill the beast, you can retrieve the tracker.¡± ¡°The more Vicious Beasts you hunt, the better your results will be.¡± Austin¡¯s gaze landed on White¡¯s hand as he memorized the device¡¯s features. White continued, ¡°The tracking devices have three different colors: bronze, silver, and gold.¡± ¡°The beast injected with the bronze tracker are low-level beasts. ¡°Those injected with the silver tracker are intermediate-level beasts. ¡°And finally, those with the golden tracker are high-level beasts.¡± Everyone in the carriage noticed that the color grading of the tracking devices seemed to be the same as the magister¡¯s medal¡¯s color grading. ¡°Although passing the exam to become an official magister is very simple, where it only requires you to kill one low-level vicious beast successfully.¡± ¡°But in reality, the more you kill, and the more outstanding your performance is, the more you will stand out in the eyes of the examiners.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to say much that the few examiners who came are all tier-three magisters from Faye City. And they represent the various major powers!¡± ¡°Whether they choose to extend the olive branch to you depends solely on your performances.¡± Anyone who understood the situation would know that this was not just a simple exam to become an official magister. It was a tremendous opportunity to become a member of an influential faction in Faye City and a chance to be seen as a valuable asset worth their investment. White yelled, ¡°I hope that our warriors who leave the city of Faye are not cowards or scumbags who don¡¯t even dare to kill a low-level beast!¡± ¡°Never forget that not only do you have to hunt them, the more you kill, the better!¡± The thunder-like voice caused everyone¡¯s eardrums to hurt slightly and ignited their excitement. At the same time, those nervous and timid apprentice magisters became more confident with White¡¯s encouragement. Chapter 13 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Assistant examiner White¡¯s words stirred everyone¡¯s blood. Fight! Vicious beasts are not scary! His sister, Catherine, leaned closer to Austin¡¯s ear. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, brother. I will protect you in this exam!¡± Catherine said confidently. Austin¡¯s ears felt ticklish as he raised his hand to pat Catherine¡¯s head. ¡°Then I¡¯ll rely on you to protect me.¡± As the assistant examiner spoke, the ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯ vehicle let off a deafening siren. The soldiers at the station saluted and sent them off. The steel dragon-like transport vehicle started moving again and left the station. It was worth noting that the carriages had spherical windows. From outside, these spherical windows were scarlet red, like the eyes of a dragon-type vicious beast. Every carriage of the transport vehicle had these spherical windows, adding to its intimidating feature. Austin and his sister occupied a spot near the window. Through the spherical window, they could see the rapidly retreating scenery. Nearby were tracks installed with various defensive magiteks. In the distance, row upon row of city buildings rose and fell like waves. The ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯ picked up its speed. Everyone attending the official exam finally embarked on the journey to Vicious Beast Town. It would be the starting point of their new life. Will they rise or fall? Will they survive or perish? An unremarkable town would decide all this. After a while, they could see the city walls. The tall and magnificent steel city wall had received the order that the ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯ applied to leave the city. The thick and sturdy city gate split into four pieces and opened quickly like an elaborate vault. The ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯ transport vehicle drove through a tunnel of the city wall. These tunnels were all equipped with deadly magic weapons to prevent the beasts from passing through the tunnel and intruding the city during beast tides. The firepower of the defenses here was naturally astonishing. There was light at the end of the tunnel. When the transport vehicle passed through the brightness, everyone¡¯s vision became clear in an instant. The dead and desolate hunting area entered everyone¡¯s sight. It used to be inhabited by humans and once a symbol of civilization. Now, only ruins and vicious beasts remained. The apprentice magisters fell silent. It was their first time out of the city! Even Austin, who worked in the magical beast breeding area and was used to seeing the destructive capabilities of magical beasts, was left in shock and helplessness. The apocalypse had destroyed most of human civilization. Decades had passed since the apocalypse. Humans have been searching for the truth and origin of the apocalypse, but their efforts have gone nowhere. The ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯ continued to speed up. The entire vehicle rumbled and sped along the tracks. On both sides of the track were towering magic barriers. In fact, without the magic barriers, there were not many beasts that dared to challenge the transport vehicle disguised as a ferocious beast. The apprentice magisters in the carriage were either resting with their eyes closed, waiting nervously, or wiping their magick guns quietly. Only the examiners at the head or tail of the carriage seemed relaxed as they checked the information of the ¡°candidates¡± with the magick monitor. They were not only powerful tier-three magisters, but they also represented the powerful factions behind them! The Thunder Magister Guild. Faye City Chamber of Commerce. And the royal family with their famous hunting squads. They were all big shots of Faye City. Cass, the Martian Hunter Ankti, and Hika chatted as they read the information. ¡°There are quite a number of people taking part in this exam.¡± ¡°Hahahahaha, it¡¯s all thanks to the glory of the Thunder Magister Guild and Elder Chuan.¡± ¡°With such a level of participation, all kinds of apprentice magisters will come here trying to fish in troubled waters.¡± Hika thought of the lecher at the transport station and snorted. ¡°There are good ones, too.¡± Cass pointed out. ¡°The Faye City governor¡¯s young master has an excellent magic aptitude, and they have spent a lot to nurture him. I¡¯m looking forward to his performance.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Ferras the son of Fath, a legendary tier-three magister? He¡¯s probably not bad either.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more optimistic with Bob. This man is simple and honest who has a solid foundation. He has a powerful wind saber technique.¡± ¡°Gen isn¡¯t bad either. He has a family background and good aptitude. His ancestral Roaming Dragon Movement Technique is almost at the refinement stage.¡± At that moment, the Martian hunter exclaimed softly. ¡°There¡¯s an apprentice magister named Austin. Have you seen his portfolio?¡± ¡°In his apprentice magister assessment, his punching power was over 10,000 kilograms!¡± ¡°What? 10,000 kilograms of fist strength!¡± Hika cried out. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be equivalent to a tier-two magister?¡± One must know that the assessment criteria for an apprentice magister were only 500 kilograms. ¡°He must be born with divine strength. Unfortunately, the information says that this person¡¯s magical aptitude is extremely poor, meaning that he can¡¯t cultivate magic power.¡± ¡°Let me take a look.¡± Hika entered ¡®Austin¡¯ into her magick display and searched. Soon, the magick display showed Austin¡¯s introduction and photo. ¡°It¡¯s him¡­!¡± Hika was surprised. Wasn¡¯t he the lecher dressed in ordinary clothes who¡¯d been staring at her at the transport station? ¡°10,000 kilograms of fist power? No wonder he is arrogant.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity that he didn¡¯t have the magic talent. At most, he¡¯ll stop at the level of a tier-one or tier-two magister.¡± It was great to have innate divine strength. Unfortunately, a human¡¯s stamina was limited. Whether he could break the limitations depended on ¡®magic power¡¯! Which high-tier magister did not rely on their magic power to cast an earth-shattering low-level attack spell? Who could shatter the sky with a single punch? Elder Chuan looked at the magick monitor and said indifferently, ¡°His family background is notably clean, he had an ordinary life, and he was born with divine strength. It¡¯s a pity that his magic aptitude isn¡¯t good enough.¡± ¡°I wonder if he can become the dark horse of this exam.¡± Austin¡¯s information attracted the attention of several examiners. Unfortunately, it was only a meager amount of attention. Without the magic talent, he would eventually lose out unless he had a standout performance in the official examination. Rumble rumble rumble¡­ The Fire Dragon sped across the wasteland. After some time, the transport vehicle entered a heavily armed station. Outside the platform, beasts could be heard from time to time. They had finally arrived at Vicious Beast Town! Chapter 14 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Thump! The decelerating Fire Dragon finally stopped. ¡°Why did we stop?¡± ¡°Are we here? Is this the place?¡± ¡°Phew¡­ the exam is finally starting.¡± The apprentice magisters in the carriage began to talk among themselves. ¡°Brother¡­¡± His sister gripped Austin¡¯s hand nervously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s fine.¡± Austin smiled reassuringly at Catherine, though his heart rate accelerated as well. Catherine had only sparred with her classmates at the school¡¯s training ground. She had no hunting experience at all. As for Austin¡¯s words, there was no need to say more. At most, he had helped his mother kill chickens and ducks. As for vicious beasts, he had never even seen them alive, much less killed them. However, as the elder brother, Austin must put on a brave face. He had already practiced killing every beast recorded in the manual dozens of times in his mind. Austin did not have any magical talent, but there was something about him that made him special. Austin took a deep breath to calm himself down. ¡°Phew¡­ The hunt begins!¡± ¡°Click¡ª¡± The door of the ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯ transport vehicle opened accompanied by a hot white magical wave. The assistant examiners in the carriages shouted, ¡°Go on, fellow rookies!¡± ¡°Return to the station alive at this time tomorrow!¡± ¡°The time has come to hunt!¡± ¡°Our city¡¯s children are no cowards!¡± ¡°Kill! Kill! Kill!¡± Every assistant examiner yelled different things. But without exception, they inspired everyone in their own way. Over a thousand apprentice magisters rushed out of the carriages. Austin left the station with his sister as well. A few examiners led by Elder Chuan walked out of the ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯ vehicle. Cass led the way. ¡°Everyone, we shall wait in the control center of Vicious Beast Town.¡± Hika, the Martian hunter, and Ankti nodded. ¡­ After leaving the transport station, the town came into view. Although it was named a town, in reality, Vicious Beast Town covered an area larger than ordinary towns. There were thousands of ferocious beasts living here! The only difference was that these beasts lived under the supervision and control of humans. The apprentice magisters scattered into groups. Teaming up could effectively increase their chances of survival, or at least that was what they thought. ¡°Brother, should we team up with others?¡± Catherine asked hesitantly. ¡°No need. No matter how many losers there are in the group, they will still be losers.¡± ¡°Becoming stronger yourself is the only option!¡± Austin¡¯s gaze sharpened. ¡°Catherine, I¡¯m going to start training you next.¡± Catherine was still a little worried, but she chose to trust her brother. After rejecting a few waves of apprentice magisters who wanted to form teams with them, they headed towards the streets that had fewer people. This place was like the world in those doomsday movies¡ªdesolate, rundown, and overgrown with weeds. Abandoned shops lined up along the streets. From time to time, rotten hounds with festering flesh wandered along the road. Vicious beasts! Those were living vicious beasts! The siblings stopped in their tracks. Not long after they left the transportation station of Vicious Beast Town, they encountered the vicious beasts that they have only seen in textbooks! ¡°Growl¡­!¡± Two or three corrosive hounds were biting rotten corpses on the roadside. They turned their heads when they smelled living humans. Their eyes had a green glow, exposing their teeth while stinking saliva dripping from the gaps between the fangs. Undoubtedly, the dogs had also noticed Austin and Catherine! Austin and Catherine instantly tensed up. Austin was more excited than nervous. He wondered if it was because of his cell evolution ability. As a stage four life form, Austin did not feel fear when he saw the corrosive hounds. Instead, he felt a sense of disdain. It was like a lion seeing a rabbit. Even if it was a young lion with no hunting experience, the moment it saw the rabbit, it already treated them as its prey and soon-to-be snack. ¡°Brother¡­ Brother, I think they discovered us.¡± Catherine said nervously. When she was on the transport vehicle, she vowed to protect Austin. Yet, deep down, she still relied on her brother subconsciously. Austin regained his composure and said, ¡°Corrosive hounds are the weakest of the low-level beasts.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re protecting me? Draw your dagger and prepare to fight!¡± Catherine subconsciously wanted to pull out her magick pistol. Hearing Austin¡¯s command, she pulled out the dagger tied to her thigh instead. She realized that she should not waste precious bullets on a rotten hound. ¡°Roar! Roar! Roar!¡± The three corrosive hounds were like mad dogs as they rushed towards them. Catherine darted in front of Austin and assumed her stance, with her dagger poised in front of her. Seeing the three corrosive hounds, Catherine became very nervous. It was their first actual combat! Austin patted Catherine¡¯s shoulder with one hand and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m here.¡± Catherine spat out a mouthful of magic breath as her eyes lit up. Roar! One corrosive hound jumped up using its hind legs and pounced on them like a hungry tiger. Catherine used the footwork that she learned in school and quickly dodged to the side. She executed the movement perfectly! Catherine had a solid foundation in her basics. ¡°Oh no, brother!¡± As soon as Catherine dodged, she realized that something was wrong. Austin was standing behind her. If she dodged, wouldn¡¯t her brother be in danger? Catherine looked over her shoulder and saw that Austin had already grabbed onto the corrosive hound¡¯s throat. ¡°Stop looking around and keep your focus in battle!¡± Austin chided. He crushed the corrosive hound¡¯s neck with his hand, and Austin suddenly sped toward Catherine. The other two corrosive hounds took advantage when Catherine became distracted and pounced on her from both sides. Austin¡¯s hands arrived like lightning as he grabbed the dogs and slammed them into each other. Bang! The heads of the two corrosive dogs broke into pieces like watermelons. Yellow and white sludge splashed out, covering the ground. At this moment, the system notification sounded. ¡°Ding¡­ host has come into contact with a low-level beast, Corrosive Hound. Cell evolution. Obtained Super-Digestive Ability. Gastrointestinal antibacterial enhancement. ¡°Ding! Host¡¯s first kill. Cell evolution. Awakening Hunting Instinct!¡± Chapter 15 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The bodies of three corrosive hounds lay by Austin and Catherine¡¯s feet. ¡°Just now¡­¡± Catherine broke out in a cold sweat. If Austin was not there, she might get herself bitten by the two corrosive hounds that had sneaked up on her. ¡°Brother, am I dead?¡± Catherine¡¯s face turned pale, and her pleasant voice trembled. After all, it was actual combat. It did not matter how well you performed during practice or how well you studied at the magic academy. In a real fight with an enemy or a vicious beast, the slightest mistake could kill you. The result might be death! Catherine felt a pang of fear as she recalled what had happened. She did not even notice that there was not a drop of blood on Austin¡¯s body when he killed the three corrosive hounds. Austin cast an air shield around himself. It was precisely due to this shield that Austin spared himself from being splattered with blood. Droplets of blood splashed onto the air membrane and then rolled onto the ground. ¡°You¡¯re not dead. You¡¯re still alive.¡± Austin said seriously. ¡°But if I¡¯m not here, the consequences would be unthinkable.¡± Austin sensed that his sister was trembling with fear and stroked her head lovingly. ¡°Alright, learn from your mistakes. Actual combat can help you grow.¡± ¡°Remember, never relax in a dangerous environment. For example¡­¡± Austin punched to the side without looking back. With a loud bang, the punch killed the corrosive hound that pounced over from the shop next to them. When!? Catherine froze. There was another corrosive hound. How would she know that Austin had come into contact with cats, snakes, spiders, and other types of magical beasts? His cells had evolved many times and obtained super-perceptive abilities. Austin no longer observed the world simply with his eyes. His sense of smell, hearing, heat and even the mysterious sixth sense had far surpassed that of a magister. ¡°Brother, there are no tracking devices on these corrosive hounds.¡± Katherine sliced through a corrosive hound¡¯s rotting flesh with her dagger, looking for a tracking device, but found nothing. Austin glanced around and replied, ¡°Maybe these are still young corrosive hounds, so they don¡¯t have it.¡± There were tens of thousands of ferocious beasts living in Vicious Beast Town. Naturally, they would reproduce. Although the corrosive hounds were weak among the low-level ferocious beasts, they could eat almost anything. They had strong survival abilities and reproducing rates. Corrosive hounds that came in groups of three to five were usually not adults. The adults would even eat their own kind if they were in extreme hunger! At this moment, the sound of intense gunfire came from the nearby streets. Before long, monstrous roars and horrible screams rang. ¡°Austin¡­¡± Catherine glanced at Austin. Austin shook his head. ¡°Come on. We¡¯ll keep walking around here.¡± ¡°Young corrosive hounds are good for practice to improve your combat experience.¡± Catherine became dazed for a moment. She felt as if there was a tier-two magister beside her who was patiently teaching her. Her elder brother was always so reliable. Staring at Austin¡¯s back, Catherine felt a sense of comfort. Vicious Beast Town Control Center. Several examiners were looking at the magick monitors. Every corner of the town had hidden surveillance cameras installed. The chief examiner relied on large amounts of surveillance magic devices to check the performance of the apprentice magisters. The tall and sturdy Ankti crossed his arms and sneered. ¡°These recruits are really good at turning themselves into delicious meals.¡± Hika studied the magic mirror screen critically. ¡°Any magisters with poor mental fortitude participating in the official magister¡¯s examination are here to deliver food to the vicious beasts.¡± In the magick monitor, one could say that it was witnessing the final destinations of apprentice magisters. Some apprentice magisters had weak mentalities. After seeing the actual ferocious beasts, they stood like statues. It was as good as returning all the low-level Magister attack techniques that they had learned from the magic school to their teacher. Some of the apprentice magisters were careless. In the end, they fell into traps set up by vicious beasts and could only feed the hungry beasts. Many apprentice magisters had made a small mistake similar to Catherine¡¯s that cost their lives. Hika pointed at an apprentice magister whose mouth got pierced by a spider leg on the screen and said, ¡°It¡¯s just an official magister test. Is it that difficult?¡± Cass laughed. ¡°I guess you¡¯ve forgotten how disheveled you looked during your exams.¡± Ankti said, ¡°When we took the official magister exam, we passed, but it wasn¡¯t that easy either.¡± ¡°Who would really treat the exam as a vacation?¡± The tier-three magisters shook their heads as they recalled how they passed their exams. The exam was simple, yet cruel! In the magick monitor, one apprentice magister was stabbed through the heart by a scorpion tail that had suddenly emerged from the alley. A giant bird in the sky pecked another apprentice magister, breaking his skull and ate his brain. There was also an apprentice magister whose throat was torn apart by an agile Shadow Cat. ¡­ ¡°Mm? Who is this young lady?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s fighting three corrosive hounds alone.¡± ¡°Let me take a look. The sakura swordsmanship of the Magister Association of Faye and the Clean Wave Footwork is quite solid.¡± A girl with a ponytail caught the attention of the examiners. Elder Chuan¡¯s eyes were sharp as he immediately recognized that the three corrosive hounds had not matured. On the screen, a man was standing at the side, watching the battle with folded arms! Ugh! It¡¯s that lecher! Judging from the man¡¯s clothes, Hika clenched her fists. Who else could it be but Austin? Cass summoned the information and said, ¡°The girl¡¯s name is Catherine. She had only just broken through to an apprentice magister a few days ago. Her performance is not bad, a promising talent.¡± ¡°With a good mentality, her future achievements won¡¯t be too low.¡± The Martian hunter, Ankti, nodded as well. President Chuan leaned on his walking stick and smiled amiably. ¡°You¡¯ve only seen the performance of the girl, but all of you have missed out on the better one.¡± ¡°Oh? I¡¯m willing to listen to Elder Chuan¡¯s analysis.¡± Elder Chuan stood up and walked to the magick monitor as he examined it closely. ¡°This man is guiding the girl. ¡°Well, he¡¯s quite powerful. He¡¯s bold, careful, and observant. He wasn¡¯t in a hurry to hunt vicious beasts. He¡¯s deliberately using the young corrosive hounds to sharpen Catherine¡¯s combat skills.¡± The few tier-three magisters looked at each other. If Elder Chuan said so, it must be right. As the branch president of the Thunder Magister Guild in Faye City, Elder Chuan knew best! ¡°What a pity that he lacked the magic aptitude¡­¡± The president recognized Austin and could not help but let out a long sigh. Chapter 16 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Without the aptitude to become a magic caster, there would be no future. So what if he had herculean strength? The strength would eventually reach its end! Elder Chuan wanted to recommend Austin into the Thunder Magister Guild, but Austin¡¯s aptitude was too poor. Vicious Beast Town. Catherine stabbed out with her dagger as shining blade glows interlaced with each other. It was as if there were fallen flowers everywhere, and killing intent was hidden within the beauty. The fast, accurate, and ruthless dagger cut through the corrosive hound¡¯s throat. ¡°This is a magic technique.¡± Austin clapped his hands and praised. Catherine sheathed her dagger and exhaled. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that I don¡¯t have enough mana. Otherwise, three corrosive hounds would have died when I cast one magic spell.¡± She spoke as she dissected the corrosive hounds. She still could not find any tracking devices. It seemed like it was another beast that had yet to mature. Only the adult corrosive hounds were low-level beasts. Austin said, ¡°Come on. You¡¯re getting used to fighting. We should go deeper into the town of Vicious Beasts.¡± Vicious Beast Town was relatively less dangerous when the transport station was nearby. After all, the royal family was there. Only by traveling deeper into the town could they meet low-level vicious beasts. Maybe even the mid-level vicious beast specially provided for this examination! Austin and Catherine passed through three streets and saw various signs of battle. There were bloodstains on the roadside, bullet shells, guns, and tattered combat uniforms. There were the corpses of ferocious beasts and also the corpses of apprentice magisters. Catherine said nothing with a heavy heart. That was the cruel reality! ¡°Run!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a mid-level vicious beast, Armored Raging Bear!¡± ¡°The team that Young Master Kyle brought was completely wiped out.¡± ¡°Mid-level beasts are really not something that we can deal with at all! Even high-level magic weapons are useless against it.¡± In the small townhouse in front, there was a constant stream of apprentice magisters fleeing in panic. The young master of a large financial group whom a particular examiner thought highly of had died inside. Evidently, this young master wanted to enter the Thunder Magister Guild, thus going after the mid-level vicious beasts. However, his team got wiped out even though he brought five apprentice magisters and many magic weapons. Due to the exam regulations, it was impossible to carry better weapons. Otherwise, why would there be a need for the assessment when the rich disciples could directly use their magic mechas to sweep through the low-level beasts? ¡°It¡¯s a mid-level vicious beast. Let¡¯s run too, Austin!¡± Catherine tugged at Austin¡¯s shirt. Austin stood where he was, unmoved. Instead, his eyes gleamed. ¡°Do you want to enter the Thunder Magister Guild?¡± Austin stood still and asked calmly. ¡°Thunder Magister Guild?¡± Catherine hesitated. That was one of the top ten powerhouses in the world, the Thunder Magister Guild. Who wouldn¡¯t want to enter? Could it be¡­? Catherine stared at her brother in disbelief. ¡°Brother. Please don¡¯t tell me you want to kill the Armored Raging Bear?!¡± Generally speaking, a mid-level beast was equivalent to an advanced magic weapon. The Armored Raging Bear was known for its strength and defense. Nothing could penetrate its armor without the use of high-level magitek to launch specialized shells. How could any apprentice magister fight such a beast? Even a tier-two magister¡¯s magic spell could not cut through the armor! ¡°Austin, I¡¯m begging you. Let¡¯s go.¡± Catherine was close to tears. Bang! A violent black bear, the size of an elephant, broke through the house and charged out. It was like a general wearing heavy armor, but its speed was not affected. When it ran on all fours, it was like an armored car. Every time it caught up to the escaping apprentice magisters, the Armored Raging Bear would slap him with its thick front claws. Pa! That person¡¯s bones and tendons were all broken, and his flesh and blood flew everywhere. It smeared onto the wall and the ground. Deader than dead! ¡°Ahhhh¡­!¡± ¡°You monster!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± A terrified apprentice magister turned his head and wildly shot the magick gun in his hand. The black muzzle of the gun emitted intense flames. A shuttle of magic bullets hit the Armored Raging Bear¡¯s body, emitting a blazing line of fire and a clunking sound. Someone threw a magic explosive toward the Armored Raging Bear. Balls of fire rose while smoke filled the air. Unfortunately, ordinary magic weapons were useless against the Armored Raging Bear. They could not cause any fatal damage! The Armored Raging Bear charged forward with its enormous paws slapping down. Pa! An apprentice magister got smashed into a meat patty. His flesh stuck to the ground while blood splashed out in all directions. ¡°Sister, I will send you to the Thunder Magister Guild.¡± These words were so calm and confident. Austin, who stood outside the house, took off his coat and handed it to Catherine, revealing his muscular upper body. ¡°Austin, no!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to enter the Thunder Magister Guild! I don¡¯t want to!¡± Catherine sobbed and tried to hold Austin back, but it was useless. ¡°Roar¡­!¡± The Armored Burst Bear stood up and let out a roar like a king of the forest, shaking up the entire examination area. Intimidation! The Armored Raging Bear was making its presence felt. However, Austin took long strides and calmly walked towards the Armored Raging Bear that stood four to five meters tall. Many magick surveillance cameras in the examination area captured this scene. Hika, the tier-three magister, frowned and whispered, ¡°What is he trying to do?¡± ¡°He¡¯s too reckless. Is he going to challenge the mid-level Armored Raging Bear alone?¡± One had to know that the Armored Raging Bear was an extremely troublesome existence amongst all the intermediate-level beasts. Elder Chuan, who had just praised Austin, narrowed his eyes. He did not understand why Austin would do that. ¡°This boy is too unwise.¡± All the experts present were pessimistic about Austin¡¯s chances. ¡°Brother¡­¡± Catherine¡¯s eyes watered as she watched Austin¡¯s back. She chose to believe in her brother! ¡°Roar¡­!¡± The Armor Raging Bear let out a deafening roar as it spat out smelly saliva. It was enraged. In the eyes of the Armored Raging Bear, Austin was merely a slightly bigger ant. Although Austin was tall and sturdy, he was like a baby compared to the Armored Raging Bear. The Armored Raging Bear no longer stood on two legs as it charged towards Austin as a tiger. The metal door of the examination area became deformed and flew out. ¡°Good timing!¡± Austin shouted and strode forward. His speed increased as he started running. His muscles bulged, and his tendons were like steel bars, hiding terrifying strength. Austin was not born with divine strength. It was all because his cells had evolved! Speaking of which, most of his strength came from insect-type magical beasts! Chapter 17 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios All the examiners in the control center focused on the screen. They did not expect Austin to challenge a mid-level magic beast, no less fighting it head-on! ¡°Foolish!¡± Elder Chuan cursed angrily. Cass asked, ¡°Anketi, you¡¯re a physical-type magister. Do you dare to fight the Armored Raging Bear head-on?¡± The Martian hunter, Ankti, nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m a tier-three magister and a practitioner of physical martial arts. Why would I not dare to clash head-on with the Armored Raging Bear?¡± ¡°What are your chances then?¡± Ankti hesitated for a moment before replying, ¡°Fifty-fifty. After all, we humans can¡¯t compare ourselves to vicious beasts.¡± ¡°Vicious beasts are born with powerful physical bodies, let alone a well-known menace like the Armored Raging Bear.¡± Then, Anketi added, ¡°But you should already know that the more you train as a magister, the more you don¡¯t just train your body.¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy for me to kill the Armored Raging Bear.¡± ¡°As for that boy, he¡¯s simply throwing an egg at a rock.¡± All the examiners did not think Austin would win. At this moment, Austin and the Armored Raging Bear were about to clash. Austin used every muscle in his body, transferring the strength of his body from his waist to his arms. Austin¡¯s right arm seemed to thicken. Thud! Austin took a step and stomped down, causing spiderweb cracks to appear on the ground. He raised his fist and threw a simple punch without any fancy tricks or magic techniques. His 50 times increase in strength! Austin¡¯s eyes lit up. This punch contained 150,000 kilograms of force. Could the bear withstand it? It was roughly equivalent to 150 tons of high-level magitek hammer smashing towards the target. Furthermore, the area of impact was only the size of a fist! At the same time, the provoked Armored Raging Bear also swung its giant paws at Austin. ¡°Bang¡­¡± A massive wave of air exploded. With Austin and the Armored Raging Bear as the center, the hard cement ground caved in. An even more shocking scene revealed itself. The extremely ferocious Armored Raging Bear¡¯s paw had a hole punched through, and its blood exploded in midair and splattered onto a wall far away. Austin felt a sharp pain in his arm that punched with a force of 150,000 kilograms. He felt as if his tendons and bones were about to break. Austin¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. He shook his arm and made crackling sounds. The defense of beetles! The vitality of cockroaches! The self-healing ability of the Multi-Form Wall Lizard and the Undying Starfish! It allowed Austin¡¯s arm to heal quickly and recover to its original state, helping him withstand the ¡°backlash¡± from the 50 times increase in strength. The evolution of his cells gave him a super-strong body that even a tier-three magister could not match. Immediately, a second punch struck. The first punch was with his right hand, and the second was with his left. A left hook with a force of 150,000 kilograms hit the Armored Raging Bear¡¯s abdomen. Before it could react, the Armored Raging Bear flew off before crashing into a house. Whether it was Catherine who was at the scene, or the experts watching the surveillance, they were stunned. Elder Chuan was dumbfounded. He leaned on his walking stick and remained speechless. Ankti rubbed his nose and looked at Cass. Hika swallowed hard and asked softly, ¡°Is this kid a dragon in human form?¡± The scene just now had completely changed the image of Austin as a lecher in Hika¡¯s mind. He was not an arrogant lecher. He had the capability! ¡°That¡¯s a little hard.¡± Austin¡¯s left arm drooped with a mutilated left hand. His cells were rapidly splitting and healing his arm. ¡°Ding! Host skin tissue damaged. Muscle tissue damaged. Bone tissue damaged. Cell evolution. You have obtained super metabolism!¡± The faster his metabolism, the faster the self-healing speed. Austin kicked his foot to the ground and sped off. Like a human-shaped cheetah, it left an afterimage on the spot as he rushed into the house. A few seconds later. The house collapsed! Inside, the Armored Raging Bear let out a furious yet frightened cry. Bang! The Armored Raging Bear charged out from the ruins¡­, and fled. It felt fear! Covered in blood, the armor that it took pride in got ripped off. Some of the armor was either on the verge of shattering or had fist marks left behind. The ruins exploded once more, and a figure charged forward and followed suit. There was no technique to speak of or anything fancy. With both power and speed, it was total dominance! Austin needed a few more houses destroyed before he managed to kill the tough and sturdy Armored Raging Bear. The Armored Raging Bear that had annihilated a young master¡¯s team¡­ died just like that. ¡°Catherine, come and feast!¡± Austin, who was half-naked, looked extremely wild and domineering. He stood on the body of the bear and stepped on its head as he called for Catherine. ¡°Feast?¡± When Catherine came in, she realized that Austin had already begun placing pots, bowls, and other cooking necessities. Start a fire, get rid of the fur, peel off the skin, and cut the meat all in one go. Catherine used her dagger to cut a hole in the Armored Raging Bear¡¯s neck and successfully found the tracking device. It was silver in color, thus equivalent to an entrance ticket to the Thunder Magister Guild! ¡°Brother! Brother! Look, it¡¯s a silver tracking device!¡± Catherine raised the silver tracking device in her hand and cheered like a happy lark. Austin laughed. ¡°You¡¯d better keep it.¡± Catherine stuffed the silver tracking device into Austin¡¯s hands and refused. ¡°No!¡± ¡°You were the one who killed the Armored Raging Bear. So this tracking device naturally belongs to you!¡± ¡°Congratulations, brother! You can now enter the Thunder Magister Guild for advanced learning.¡± Catherine smiled as she was genuinely happy for Austin. However, Austin shook his head. ¡°The Thunder Magister Guild isn¡¯t suitable for me. I don¡¯t need to cultivate, nor can I cultivate. It¡¯s useless no matter how profound the magic techniques I learn there.¡± His words were remarkably calm. Other people would want to enter the Thunder Magister Guild, but Austin did not care. If the other apprentice magisters knew about this, they would probably beat their chests, cry, and become angry and envious at the same time. Catherine stared at her brother, stunned. ¡°You¡¯re awesome!¡± His sister finally gave him a thumbs up. Chapter 18 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Brother, I¡¯ll take this silver tracking device then.¡± Catherine said. ¡°Keep it.¡± ¡°In any case, there are still other mid-level vicious beasts to hunt if I really want to enter the Thunder Magister Guild.¡± Austin said casually. He placed his palm on the wall and took out a beautiful magic fire canister. His five fingers moved as if he was spinning a pen, and the canister moved from his pinky to his index finger. Then, his thumb opened the magic seal of the magic fire canister. ¡°Puff ~¡± A cluster of flames emerged from the magic fire canister. Austin waved his hand, and the flames turned into a line of fire that lit the firewood instantly. ¡°Austin, what kind of trick is this?¡± Catherine¡¯s clear eyes lit up. Austin¡¯s actions just now were slick and charming. Austin smiled and used his dagger to cut off the fat meat from the bear. He rubbed salt on it and barbecued it on the fire. ¡°This is your brother¡¯s best skill move. It¡¯s my secret for now.¡± Austin had two trump cards. One was a hundredfold increase in strength. The other was the fire controlling skill that he had worked hard on. Using the ability to control fire, he could use the magic fire canister to create a fire over a thousand degrees. Then, he used air control to instantly ignite the temperature of the flames to two to three thousand degrees. He could even use his wind control ability to increase the fire intensity. Austin had yet to come up with a name for this move, but its power was definitely not inferior to the 100 times increase in strength. It was powerful and cool! When he hunted the Armored Raging Bear, Austin did not even need to use the magic fire canister. To him, there was no need to use his expensive trump card to kill a mid-level vicious beast. Soon. Under the scorching heat of the flames, the bear meat was oozing with shiny fat. It dripped onto the fire pit and made a sizzling sound. With the addition of salt and other seasonings, the meat became brownish-gold in color with more flavor. ¡°Gulp¡­¡± It made Catherine swallow her saliva. Austin rotated the barbecued meat and said with a smile, ¡°See? I¡¯m not lying. Right? ¡°We have never eaten the meat of a mid-level vicious beast yet. We¡¯re in for a treat.¡± Catherine blushed. She thought about when she was still angry with Austin being ridiculous by bringing pots and pans, firewood, oil, and salt. Now¡­ Mm smells great! The flames cooked the bear meat quickly. Austin plucked the meat off his dagger, placed it on a plate, and pushed it toward his sister. ¡°Go on. Eating more vicious beast meat should be good for your body.¡± Catherine was so hungry that she wolfed down the food despite the hotness. Austin cooked himself another large chunk of meat. His cells had evolved again when he was beating up the Armored Raging Bear. Now, Austin eats meat purely to replenish his stamina. He did not rely on magic spells or magic power in battle. He consumed his own energy. Without food, he would not have any energy to fight. While Austin and Catherine were enjoying the barbecue, the examiners were getting anxious. The battle between Austin and the Armored Raging Bear destroyed all the surveillance cameras in the vicinity. It caused the control center¡¯s magick monitors to lose the footage inside the house. ¡°I wonder how the battle ended.¡± Ankti scratched his head anxiously. Someone who could take on the Armored Raging Bear head-on had piqued the interest of the Martian Hunter. Hika said, ¡°I¡¯ll bet a hundred gold coins that the lecher¡­ Austin won.¡± Cass said to the operator in the control center, ¡°Quick, pull up the magick cameras near that house. We have to see what¡¯s going on inside that house right now.¡± ¡°We¡¯re on it, sir.¡± A few operators quickly knocked on the control panel. In the end, they activated a camera at the six-story residential building beside the house. The camera rotated by ninety degrees and focused on that house. The few examiners leaned over. ¡°Quick, enlarge the image!¡± The magick camera zoomed in. They could see smoke rising from the ruined house. A man and a woman were sitting in front of a fire, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Beside them was the corpse of a black bear that seemed like a small mountain. ¡°What are they doing?¡± Hika asked curiously. Elder Chuan did not know whether to laugh or cry. ¡°They are most likely¡­ having a barbecue.¡± ¡°Barbecue?¡± The few tier-three magisters looked at each other. The bloody and cruel exam for becoming an official magister had turned into a barbecue party? Elder Chuan turned his head and asked, ¡°When the few of you participated in the official magister exam, were you ever this relaxed and content?¡± They shook their heads. It was already good enough that they did not become food for the beasts. Who would still dare to swagger around and eat barbecued meat? That would only attract more vicious beasts! The smell of blood coming from the corpse of the Armored Raging Bear had indeed attracted some corrosive hounds nearby. They slowly approached and encircled Austin and Catherine. ¡°Austin¡­¡± Catherine grabbed her dagger with one hand and reached behind her back with the other to hold onto the Vulcan Magick Shotgun. Austin took another big bite of meat and did not care. ¡°Keep eating. It¡¯s just a couple of mutts. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Catherine trusted her brother completely. She put down the dagger and the heavy magick gun and continued eating the meat. ¡°Roar¡­!¡± Five or six corrosive hounds crept closer, drooling and showing their fangs. Just as the hungry corrosive hounds were about to pounce on him, Austin suddenly raised his head. ¡°Get lost!¡± Austin flew into a rage, and his eyes shone brightly. A thunderous roar exploded from Austin¡¯s mouth as the sound waves spread out. Intimidation skill! In a trance, it was as if death had lurked into the corrosive hounds¡¯ minds. At this moment, they seemed to have seen the strongest creature on the surface of the planet! As predators, it was as if the corrosive hounds had suddenly returned to the ancient times and became weak prey, driven by a desire to survive. Hunger and greed were all overcome by fear! Five or six corrosive hounds whimpered, clamped their tails, and fled in panic. Austin saw his sister staring at him blankly and swallowed a piece of bear meat. ¡°What is it?¡± he asked. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating?¡± Catherine gazed in amazement. ¡°Brother¡­ How are you so powerful? ¡°Scaring the beasts away with a shout. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I know about this?¡± Chapter 19 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Catherine had been protected by her brother ever since she was young. When other kids bullied her, it was always her brother standing in front to protect her. In Catherine¡¯s heart, Austin had always been her guardian angel. It was until they took the magister aptitude test at nine years old. The test showed that Austin¡¯s magical aptitude was extremely poor, while Catherine¡¯s magical aptitude was excellent. Afterward, Catherine went to a magic academy, and Austin could only go to an ordinary school. Catherine, who cultivated the channeling technique and embarked on the path of a magic caster, became more powerful by the day, surpassing her ordinary brother soon after. At that time, Catherine secretly swore that she would protect her brother. Unexpectedly, just as she had become the magister that she was so proud of, and just when she thought that he could protect his brother, Austin revealed his ¡°unknown¡± side. Powerful! Berserk! Domineering! Confidence! The brother before her was mysterious and charming. Catherine stared at Austin blankly. She did not know if she was considered a brother complex. In any case, she could not talk about such feelings. ¡°Silly sister, your brother must be powerful. Otherwise, how can I protect you?¡± Austin rubbed Catherine¡¯s head affectionately. As for the secret of the system and cell evolution, Austin would never tell anyone about it. Even for his sister or his parents, Austin would never tell them. ¡°Alright, hurry up and eat. You haven¡¯t even hunted down a single low-level beast.¡± With that, Austin began to grill the bear paws. Two hours later. The park in the Vicious Beast Town was a mess¡ªblown up grass patches, broken tree trunks, a panting pony-tailed girl. And¡­, a python covered in pitch-black snake scales! A Black Scaled Horned Python! ¡°Not bad, not bad. You killed the stronger Black Scaled Horned Python amongst the low-level vicious beasts. Great improvement.¡± Austin clapped his hands in encouragement and stepped in. Catherine wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled happily. She slung the Vulcan magick shotgun behind her back and stuck the magick pistol back into its holster. On the Black Scaled Horned Python, a dagger stuck on its seven-inch white scale. The manual described it very clearly: The Black Scaled Horned Python had tough armor and excellent strength. Its weakness was the seven-inch white scales. Even though she knew that information, it was still difficult to kill it. Catherine had to use her magick shotgun to destroy the Black Scaled Horned Python¡¯s bloody mouth before she could finally step up to stab her dagger into the snake¡¯s seven-inch white scales. Even a low-level beast was so hard to kill. Catherine realized more of how powerful her brother was. Beating a mid-tier Vicious Beast Armored Raging Bear to death was no joke. ¡°Get some rest, then come and eat some grilled snake meat.¡± Austin began to fiddle with his cooking materials again. That was his way of sustaining the war by means of war. When the others were still starving and were on tenterhooks while avoiding the vicious beasts, Austin and Catherine started a barbecue feast. After supervising the exam for years, this was the first time the examiners had seen such things. A while later. In the narrow alleyway, Catherine encountered two corrosive hounds. Adult corrosive hounds! In other words, Catherine got attacked by two low-level beasts. Austin stood at the side and still had no intention of helping. He said calmly, ¡°There¡¯s no difference between a corrosive hound and a dog when you¡¯re fighting them. ¡°Their weakness is also their eyes and throat. ¡°Take note, the blood and saliva of the adult rotting hounds are corrosive and contain over a thousand types of harmful bacteria. Austin reminded Catherine. The corrosive blood of a corrosive hound was of little use to Austin. Austin¡¯s cell evolution made him immune to these. Not for Catherine. If a wound got stained with blood full of bacteria, even a magister¡¯s body would be sick. Fortunately, Catherine had a good combat suit which was dirty but not tattered after fighting the whole day. Twenty silver coins well spent! Catherine held the dagger in one hand and the magick shotgun in the other. She was ready for battle. ¡°Roar¡­!¡± Under the confrontation, the two adult corrosive hounds moved first. They did not dare to provoke Austin instinctively and chose to pounce on Catherine one after another. Catherine dodged to the side and raised her shotgun with one hand, firing at one corrosive hound. At the same time, the other hand swiped the dagger at the second corrosive hound. A gunshot echoed in the alley. At point-blank, the destructive power of the shotgun had directly destroyed a small part of the corrosive hound¡¯s body, sending its flesh and blood flying. The dagger avoided the second one¡¯s vitals, but it tore the skin apart. The two corrosive hounds were not dead! Adult corrosive hounds had better vitality, more sturdy bodies, and faster speed. The corrosive hound, which had a small half of its body destroyed by the shotgun, pounced again right after missing its target and falling to the ground. Catherine remained calm and fired a few more shots. The shotgun, which was extremely powerful in close combat, smashed up the dog as it fell onto the ground. However, a second corrosive hound followed closely behind. Catherine did not have the time to reload her gun. She did not panic as she immediately raised the shotgun to block. The corrosive hound pounced on Catherine and bit onto the shotgun. The powerful impact knocked Catherine backward and into the alley wall. Boom! The wall collapsed! Catherine fell to the ground. The dog shook its head and kept biting the gun barrel madly. The sharp fangs and the terrifying bite force caused the gun barrel to deform slightly. The smelly mouth was extremely close to her. That was a vicious beast! A wild and hungry vicious beast! Catherine tilted her head to the side while her hands fought to keep the gun at bay. The first thing she thought of was to seek help from her brother. No! I can¡¯t rely on your brother! Catherine, didn¡¯t you swear to protect your brother? How can such a tiny setback defeat you? A sense of determination flashed in Catherine¡¯s eyes. The next time the dog tried to bite again, Catherine found the exact opportunity to push the shotgun away. At the same time, Catherine rolled toward the wall beside her. She got up abruptly, half-kneeled on the ground, reached for the gun holster with both hands. Pull, aim, trigger. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Katherine fired several shots into the corrosive hound¡¯s neck. From rolling to the wall to pulling out a gun and shooting, she executed everything in one go to perfection. Chapter 20 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The corrosive hound was not dead yet. Catherine fired a dozen more shots and emptied the magazine. The corrosive hound¡¯s neck was full of holes left by the bullets. Its skin cut opened to show its ghastly white bones. If not for a few pieces of rotten meat and skin, along with the dog¡¯s head and body, the dog¡¯s head would have fallen to the ground. ¡°It¡¯s dead.¡± Catherine exhaled and picked up her dagger from the ground, digging out the tracking devices of the two adult corrosive hounds. The tracking devices were made of an unknown material as magick bullets could not damage them. ¡°That was a bit of a close call.¡± Austin put away the magic fire canister and came over. He was also worried for Catherine just now, so he held the magic fire canister in his hand. If anything happened, Austin would immediately save his sister. Catherine reloaded the magazine of the magick pistol, inserted the holster, and giggled. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, brother.¡± ¡°This is how battles are supposed to be. Only by risking one¡¯s life and surviving in the face of death can I become powerful!¡± Austin gave Catherine a surprised look. The little girl who would hide behind him in times of danger had suddenly grown a lot. After half a day of actual combat, Catherine¡¯s improvement was godly! Whether it was actual combat experience or mental fortitude, there was a qualitative leap. ¡°Although I don¡¯t have the aptitude to become a magister, I can train my sister to become a female magister! A female warrior!¡± Austin thought to himself. ¡°There¡¯s nothing delicious about a rotten dog. Let¡¯s go.¡± Austin cast a disdainful glance at the corrosive hound¡¯s corpse. It was like a zombie dog in a zombie apocalypse. Once you saw it, you would lose your appetite immediately. Thousands of apprentice magisters took the exam. The entire Vicious Beast Town was shrouded in a tense and dangerous slaughter show. Austin and Catherine hunted more beasts on the streets. They had seen cruel aftermaths. They also encountered other apprentice magisters who were fighting vicious beasts. Austin did not want to get involved with this. He would avoid them with Catherine whenever he saw them. They passed by the entrance of a dilapidated store. A young man in a high-quality blue-gray combat suit was cutting open a wild boar-like beast. He was surrounded by broken glass, magick bullet shells, and the bodies of the apprentice magisters. ¡°Exploding Arrow Porcupine¡­¡± Austin glanced at the wild boar-like beast. The Exploding Arrow Porcupine was considered one of the more troublesome low-level Vicious Beasts in Vicious Beast Town. When enraged, it would shoot out sharp spikes from its body and pierce through the enemy. The man noticed Austin and Catherine too. A wary look flashed across his eyes. It was a small town full of magick surveillance, and there was a written prohibition against killing each other among candidates. Still, there might be some who were crazy enough to commit murder and rob tracking devices. Austin looked away without interest and said to his sister, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Catherine nodded obediently. Austin was interested in the Exploding Arrow Porcupine. He was looking forward to what abilities his cells would evolve after coming into contact with it. However, he was not interested in the beasts that others hunted. In any case, there were plenty of Arrow Porcupines. If he wanted them, he could hunt them down! Seeing that the siblings were about to leave, the man quickly dug out the Exploding Arrow Porcupine¡¯s tracking device. He put it into his tactical backpack and hurriedly chased after them. ¡°Wait up!¡± The man called out. He smiled and said, ¡°My name is Gen.¡± Austin turned and asked, ¡°Yes?¡± Gen stiffened. He expected the other party to react more upon hearing his name. Gen coughed dryly and said, ¡°My ancestor, Long, was a tier-five magister. He founded the Dragon-Subduing Magister Guild and is quite famous in Faye City.¡± Tier-five magisters! He was an expert much stronger than Elder Chuan, who was a tier-four Magister. However¡­ Austin remained indifferent. What has your ancestor got to do with you? Austin did not have the habit of fawning. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, we¡¯ll leave first.¡± With that, Austin prepared to leave with his sister. Damn it! If they leave, where am I going to find cannon fodder! Gen hurriedly said, ¡°Guys, look at the sky. It¡¯s getting late. There are many terrifying beasts in the town of Fierce Beasts. They¡¯re all hunting at night.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we travel together? We can help each other out.¡± ¡°No thanks.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ ¡°After the exam, I¡¯m willing to give you 100 gold coins!¡± ¡°No thanks.¡± ¡°200 gold coins!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s leave.¡± Austin could not be bothered to waste any more time. He left with his sister no matter how much Gen increased the price. Catherine glanced at Austin and asked softly, ¡°Brother, why didn¡¯t you agree to team up with him? ¡°After the exam, we can earn a sum of money too. ¡°Also, I¡¯ve heard of the Dragon-Subduing Magister Guild. It¡¯s very famous in the City of Faye. Its main skill is called Dragon Subduing Palm. It¡¯s a Lv2 magic technique!¡± When the dragons were still alive, they had indeed dominated the Faye city. The Dragon-Subduing Clan had been glorious. Later on, even after the dragons died in a massive beast tide, the foundations of the Dragon-Subduing Family and the Dragon-Subduing Magister Guild remained. Austin said expressionlessly, ¡°Sister, you have to know that outside the city, the human heart is often more terrifying than the vicious beasts.¡± ¡°When you face the beast, you¡¯ll know for certain that it¡¯s the enemy. All you have to do is think about how to kill it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell when you¡¯re facing a human. You never know what he¡¯s thinking or if he¡¯ll betray you in the next second.¡± Danger often exposes one¡¯s humanity! ¡°You saw what happened just now. All of Gen¡¯s teammates were dead while he was completely unharmed.¡± ¡°I believe that this person used his reputation to treat his teammates as cannon fodder.¡± ¡°Of course, his movement technique shouldn¡¯t be bad either to survive.¡± ¡°As for the promises he made so easily, he probably wants us to work for him for nothing.¡± One or two million could come out of the mouth anytime. Who could say for sure whether the other party would honor his promise or not? Catherine thought about it for a moment and came to a realization. At the same time, she also firmly memorized Austin¡¯s words, ¡°The human heart is often more terrifying than beasts.¡± These words had a decisive impact on Catherine¡¯s future career. Chapter 21 ¡°Unlike Corrosive Hounds, Exploding Arrow Porcupines prefer to travel alone and look for food in stores.¡± Austin remembered the introduction to the Exploding Arrow Porcupine in the manual. The entire town was a giant treasure trove for Austin where his cells could evolve more. However, in reality, at Austin¡¯s current level, the improvement from the low-level beasts was minimal. Although low-level beasts were powerful, they might not be as magical as insect-type magical beasts, water illusion bugs, or Green-tailed Mantis Shrimps. Austin found another abandoned store. The dust at the door was thick, the shutters were spoiled, the glass shattered, and some footprints were on the floor. ¡°There should be vicious beasts inside. I¡¯ll go in this time. Catherine, stay on guard here and be careful.¡± Austin said to his sister. Catherine nodded with her dagger in hand. Even though she was by her brother¡¯s side, she had learned to be vigilant at all times, ready to enter battle mode at any time. Austin walked into the shop alone. The lighting in the store was dim, and most of the shelves had collapsed. All kinds of goods were scattered on the ground, covered in thick dust. If there was something not broken in the store, it must be a magick surveillance camera. However, there were so many magick surveillance cameras in Vicious Beast Town that the control center¡¯s main control panel could not always watch every one of them. Austin flicked his finger, and a sharp gust of wind shot out and shattered the camera. Strands of invisible wind surrounded his body as he controlled the wind and the air. With every step he took, a mild wind would blow the dust on the ground. With his super perceptive ability and night vision, Austin was able to see through the darkness like it was daytime. Soon, he found an Exploding Arrow Porcupine in the corner of the store. It was about the size of a calf and was eating a loaf of moldy bread. The moment the stranger arrived, the arrow porcupine immediately let out a threatening snort as its soft spikes stood up. Austin twirled the five fingers of his right hand and played with the delicate magic fire canister. He was in no hurry to attack. The sharp spikes on the arrow porcupine¡¯s body hardened, like the tail of a rattlesnake, as it shook intensely. ¡°Puff ~¡± Suddenly, Austin unlocked the magic seal on the magic pot. A cluster of flames shot out from the magic pot. ¡°Gasp!¡± The arrow porcupine seemed to be under threat as the spikes on its back shot out. Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! An adult Exploding Arrow Porcupine could grow close to 30,000 sharp spikes on its back, and shooting out more than half of them at once was extremely terrifying. Austin was unmoved by the rain of arrows fired by the Exploding Arrow Porcupine. He pushed his left hand forward. Air Control! An invisible shield formed in front of Austin. The oncoming rain of arrows hit the shelves with clattering sounds. In the dark, there were even dazzling sparks. Some of the bottles were smashed into pieces by the spikes. However, when the dense rain of arrows arrived in front of Austin. It was as if they had fallen into a swamp as their speed decreased and finally stopped in midair. This air shield was like a transparent mirror filled with spikes. At the place where the needles pierced, thin cracks extended out. The air shield in front of Austin was like a broken porcelain bottle. It was full of cracks, but it did not shatter. ¡°When the ability to control air reaches Lv2, I can create an air shield with a decent defense. It¡¯s pretty good, a little like the advanced wind magic spells.¡± Austin muttered to himself. He was still experimenting with his new moves. The air shield was similar yet different from the advanced wind magic technique of a tier-two magister. The advanced wind magic spell of a tier-two magister consumed magic power. Austin¡¯s air shield did not need to consume anything. As long as there was air, Austin could continuously mobilize the air to create an air shield! In theory, as long as Austin¡¯s ability to control air was high enough, it would not be a problem for him to condense an entire atmosphere! Austin walked over to the Exploding Arrow Porcupine. The porcupine continued to shoot out the spikes on its body, but they were all blocked by Austin¡¯s air wall. Austin¡¯s eyes widened, and a great sense of intimidation erupted off him. The Exploding Arrow Porcupine trembled as it lay on the ground. Austin reached out and touched the porcupine. ¡°Ding! The host has come into contact with the Exploding Arrow Porcupine. Cell evolution. Obtained ability: Fur Hardening, Needle Rain!¡± A moment later. Seeing Austin walking out, Catherine welcomed him joyfully. ¡°Austin, what kind of vicious beast is inside?¡± ¡°An Exploding Arrow Porcupine.¡± Austin passed the tracking device to Catherine. An hour later, the siblings crossed several streets and hunted more low-level vicious beasts. They also encountered some powerful apprentice magisters. A magister named Earl used the Violent Wind Saber Art. As the autumn wind swept away the fallen leaves, the force of the saber killed the steel saber bull. An apprentice magister named Kei killed the silverback gray wolf with one punch. There was also the marksman, Foster, who was hiding in high ground. He used a specialized Magical Heavy Sniper Gun and shot a low-level beast in the head. To further sharpen Catherine¡¯s skills, Austin provoked three Shadow Cats to fight Catherine. Shadow Cats were not strong, but they were extremely fast and agile. As it was so quick when jumping around, it could leave behind afterimages. Hence, it was named Shadow Cat. For some reason, Hika paid extra attention to Austin. She made the surveillance operator find the footage of the siblings. After watching Catherine battling the three Shadow Cats, Hika exclaimed that Austin was a freak. It was a little strict, but the benefits were obvious. Catherine¡¯s movements and swordsmanship had also advanced by leaps and bounds in this battle of life and death. Austin had trained Catherine¡¯s level-two movement technique from an ordinary magic academy almost to the refinement stage. It was late at night. It was a chilling autumn night in the town in the wilderness. A silver-backed gray wolf stood on the roof of a mall, howling at the moon that looked like a white jade plate. There was something that Cass had not lied about as a lot of vicious beasts had the habit of hunting at night. That was why Vicious Beast Town was especially dangerous at night. Typically, no matter if it was a hunting team that had experienced hundreds of battles or an apprentice magister who had just killed a vicious beast for the first time, they would choose to hide and lay low for the night. A dilapidated house. Austin closed the rusty door, retrieved his sleeping bag from his travel bag, and laid it out on the floor. The bed was rotting, and the blanket there would collapse with a touch. It was so thick that it looked like it snowed. ¡°You should sleep first, Catherine.¡± Austin said. Chapter 22 In the pitch-black darkness, Catherine¡¯s flawless face was slightly flushed. Since the destruction of the town, it had been abandoned for decades. There was no longer light pollution, meaning the night was very dark. Even so, with Austin¡¯s superior night vision, he could still see as clearly as day. Seeing his sister in her combat uniform, Austin wanted to shout out¡ªWow! Although she¡¯s my sister, I think it¡¯s my first time being alone with her. Austin thought as he looked elsewhere. In the old and quiet master bedroom, a strange atmosphere was spreading. The siblings felt awkward. Austin coughed dryly and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been fighting a lot today, and you must be mentally and physically exhausted. Rest well.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stay on guard first.¡± Austin took out a mosquito repellent coil from his bag. He set up the rack, lit the mosquito repellent coil, and placed it on top. ¡°Austin, you even brought mosquito repellent?¡± His sister blinked her big bright eyes. ¡°And insect repellent. Want some?¡± Austin produced another small bottle of insect repellent from his bag. ¡°Sure¡­ spray me some.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sweaty, and it stinks.¡± Catherine undid her hairband and let her long dark hair fall over her shoulders. ¡°My sister never stinks. I think you smell great.¡± ¡°Here, let me spray some on you.¡± Blushing, Catherine lowered her head and mumbled, ¡°How? You¡¯ve never smelled it before¡­¡± Austin sprayed the insect repellent and put it away. He felt an unexplainable itch in his heart, so he could only turn his head and say, ¡°Go to sleep. I¡¯ll keep on a lookout outside.¡± Then, Austin left the master bedroom. As he sat outside and leaned against the wall, Austin spun the magic fire canister in boredom. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk¡¯s and as bright as a cat¡¯s as he surveyed the night. Even his super-perception spread out like a spider web and covered the surroundings. Any movement near the residential area could not escape Austin¡¯s senses. ¡°There is no magick surveillance here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The Vicious Beast Town is so big. It¡¯s impossible for the royal family to set up surveillance cameras everywhere.¡± ¡°Alright, that saves me the trouble of destroying them one by one.¡± Austin whispered to himself. He did not have the habit of sleeping under the surveillance of others. Austin had already destroyed the only magick surveillance camera in this area. When Austin entered the residential area, he smiled at the camera and smashed it. Hika, who was watching Austin through the monitor, was hopping mad. ¡°Austin¡­¡± Catherine, who had slipped into her sleeping bag, whispered. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t sleep. ¡°That means you¡¯re not tired enough. Get up. I¡¯m going to find a couple of Shadow Cats to come over and give you some practice.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sleepy again. I think I can fall asleep.¡± Austin smiled faintly. That was more like it. Catherine was probably really tired. From a rookie with no actual combat experience to an ¡°expert¡± who hunted down seven low-level beasts, one could see how much Catherine had grown. After a long day of battling and being on high alert, Catherine was naturally physically and mentally exhausted. However, this was the wilderness. It was a town of vicious beasts. It was a hunting zone far away from the cities where humans lived! If he dared to sleep now, his head might end up somewhere else the next day. Catherine didn¡¯t dare to have a deep sleep and could only take a nap. Perhaps because Austin was there, Catherine fell asleep immediately. She had entrusted her life to her elder brother. Austin¡¯s ears twitched as he heard the faint snoring coming from the room. He smiled and closed his eyes as well. A corner of Vicious Beast Town finally welcomed peace. Elsewhere, however, the hunting and killing had just begun. Many ferocious and terrifying beasts were nocturnal. They sleep during the day and hunt for food at night. Most of the apprentice magisters who survived during the day found a place in the residential area or other hidden corners to rest. One apprentice magister who had been hiding all day curled up in the corner of an abandoned underground warehouse, shivering. ¡°Huff¡ª¡± Heavy breathing sounds came from the underground warehouse. He looked up and saw a pair of animal eyes, which resembled blue flames and as large as lanterns, staring at him through the shelf. ¡°Ah!!¡± A piercing scream echoed in the underground warehouse. On the top floor of a dilapidated house, a sharpshooter in camouflage was lying there, motionless. Beside him, there was a specially assembled heavy magick gun. He observed his surroundings with his telescope while eating a hard French baguette. Suddenly, a strong gust blew from above. The sharpshooter¡¯s hair stood on end as he rolled on the ground and dodged the fatal blow. However, before he could react, the enemy¡¯s broad and sturdy wings flapped down heavily, crushing the poor guy¡¯s muscles and bones. It was just a microcosm of what was happening in the town. Even for the apprentice magisters who performed well during the day, they were exhausted after a day of fighting. All they wanted was to spend the night peacefully. There was really no one like Catherine who could sleep peacefully in her sleeping bag, with the pleasant smell of insect repellent around. The night was as cold as water. Austin closed his eyes for a nap. Still, any movement would wake him up. Late at night, Austin suddenly frowned and opened his eyes. What a strong smell of blood! Austin was alarmed and saw a cat with black fur that seemed to blend into the night. It strode forward gracefully, its paws landing silently on the ground as it paced outside. ¡°Meow ~¡± The black cat raised its tail and hissed at Austin. Shadow Cat? No, it was a high-level vicious beast¡ªNekomata! In a flash, Austin and the cat moved at the same time. Austin pushed his palm and opened the lid of the magic fire canister with his thumb. Burning Fire Blast! It was the name that Austin had given for his magic fire canister move. The ability to control fire could control the flames of the magic fire canister. It was like a long straight line of burning flames and then using air control to ignite the flame, thus the name. Austin¡¯s naming ability was a little nerdy, but he enjoyed it. Boom! The Burning Fire Blast immediately exploded, turning into an enormous ball of fire. The blazing fire illuminated the night sky. Chapter 23 The loud explosion woke Catherine up from her sleep instantly. Instinctively, Catherine grabbed her dagger and wriggled out of the sleeping bag. ¡°Brother?¡± After Austin¡¯s training, Catherine quickly entered her battle mode. ¡°Could it be vicious beasts?¡± Catherine¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she saw the dazzling flames outside. ¡°It¡¯s a high-level vicious beast, Nekomata. Be careful. I¡¯ll deal with it.¡± Austin leaped out of the house and onto the roof of a nearby building. ¡°What? High-level vicious beast?!¡± Catherine hurried outside to catch up with her brother, who had blended into the night far away. From time to time, hot streams of fire lit up. ¡°Fire? Where did the fire come from?¡± Catherine was utterly confused. What shocked her the most was that her brother actually went to chase after a high-level vicious beast. According to rank, only tier-three magisters could match a high-level vicious beast. Austin was only an apprentice magister, yet he dared to chase after a high-level beast. It simply sounded impossible. And where did the flames come from? Did Nekomata breathe fire? Or did the fire come from Austin? There were magic techniques that could create flames. However, those were usually magic techniques above Lv3, such as low-level fireballs and fire vortexes. And they require a lot of magic power! Those who were not tier-three magisters or above could never bear the burden of such magic techniques. She took another look outside the room that turned black. Only God would know how high the temperature of the flames was. Just by standing outside the room, Catherine could feel the oppressive and unbearable heat. The agile cat dodged Austin¡¯s Burning Fire Blast. The cat jumped onto the roof as it attempted to escape. It was rare for Austin to encounter an injured high-level beast, so he did not want to let it go and chased after it. The cat was like a fairy jumping around in the night. The flames behind it burned like fire dragons. ¡°Meow!¡± The cat screamed again as its tail got burned and blackened. A high-level vicious beast chased by an apprentice magister? The Nekomata could not understand. The human at the back seemed to have unlimited mana in his body as the flames shot over continuously. Nekomata would never know that Austin did not use any mana. He had used the magic fire canister to unleash the Burning Fire Blast. Austin flew through the air, and with the elasticity of the sky spirit flea, he was not slower than the Nekomata. He chased after the Nekomata and swiped his hand. The flames on the magic fire canister spewed out one after another. Oxygen surged in and fueled the flames, which exploded into a giant fireball that burned the surroundings. Boom! The Nekomata was blown away by the fiery heatwave. Austin took the opportunity to use both his hands to light up two expensive magic fire canisters and threw them out. While the magic fire canister was still spinning in midair, Austin pressed his palms together and stared with his eyes wide open. ¡°Ring of Fire, Flame Prison!¡± In the blink of an eye, the flames of the two magic flame canisters started to burn even more intensely. With the two magic fire canisters as the source, two lines of flames extended out from each of them, one from the left and one from the right. The head and the tail connected, forming a great ring of fire. This ring of flames was like a cage, trapping the cat inside. The Nekomata darted left and right, trying to escape the cage of flames. However, every time it got close, the flames would surge and burn fiercely, forcing the cat back. Austin smirked. ¡°Looks like this move has been well developed.¡± ¡°Then¡­ one more!¡± Autin held both hands with his fingers closed tightly. Wind Control! The air around them flowed rapidly, forming a whirlwind above the Blazing Ring. The wind accelerated with the fire, while the fire burned more intensely with the help of the wind. The jet of flames in the Blazing Ring immediately shot up into the sky, forming a fire tornado that covered the Nekomata completely. ¡°How about that? This move is called the Blazing Tornado!¡± Austin said confidently. These were all moves that he had developed himself. The naming of the moves was childish, but the power was indeed significant. Nekomata was a high-level beast. Even if it was injured, it was much stronger than an ordinary mid-level beast. Even so, the Nekomata became cornered by Austin. The Blazing Tornado continued to compress. A high temperature of two to three thousand degrees could melt metal, let alone cats with flesh and blood. The cat¡¯s hair bristled again and let out a sharp cry. The cat fur on its body was already blackened and almost started burning. ¡°Meow!¡± With a sharp screech, the Nekokata¡¯s body expanded rapidly like an inflated balloon. The black and burnt fur fluttered like seaweed. The Nekomata, from the size of an ordinary cat, had grown to a size larger than an African elephant. The Nekomata, which had transformed into a gigantic creature, was covered in a thick layer of cat fur. It slammed through the fire tornado and swung its giant paw towards Austin. ¡°Mm?¡± Austin¡¯s pupils constricted slightly, and he immediately raised his arms to defend himself. Boom! Austin felt as if he got hit by two or three Armored Raging Bears. The terrifying power struck onto his arms. Austin¡¯s feet smashed into the roof and got pushed back for dozens of meters, leaving deep cracks on the floor. Nekomata¡¯s body was still in flames. Layers of cat fur were burnt to ashes and scattered in the night sky. However, the cat was frantically trying to grow its fur. The growth of cat fur prevented Austin¡¯s terrifyingly high-temperature flames from reaching its body. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. It¡¯s a high-level Vicious Beast which is indeed far more troublesome than low-level or mid-level Vicious Beasts.¡± Austin grimaced in pain and inhaled a deep breath. The next moment, he gave an excited smile. Fighting spirit lit up in Austin¡¯s eyes. He was not afraid of fighting. Instead, he enjoyed fighting. ¡°Now that¡¯s more interesting!¡± Austin pulled his feet out of the ground. He ripped off his tattered shirt and revealed his muscular upper body. ¡°You should know that my strength is not limited to just fire. My literal strength can increase by a hundred times¡­¡± Austin stomped his feet. Boom! He stepped on the hard cement ground and transformed into a cheetah. His body was so fast that it became a blur as he charged towards the giant cat. Chapter 24 The giant cat widened its green eyes again while two tails whipped toward Austin like a dragon. Before the tail even reached him, a strong wind swept in all directions. It was even more powerful than the iron whip of a magister. Austin leaped into the air and dodged the first tail. When the second tail swept over, Austin used his absolute control over his body to adjust his posture and dodge again. As for the bricks, stone pillars, and chimneys on the roof, they were not so lucky. All of them were smashed into pieces by the Nekomata¡¯s tail. There was no time for the tail to strike again as Austin had already clenched his fist and charged. ¡°Meow!¡± The fur on the cat¡¯s body stood on end. Sensing a strong sense of danger, it immediately swung its huge paw towards Austin. ¡°Ha!¡± Austin¡¯s eyes widened as he swung his thick arm towards the Nekomata¡¯s paw. The fist and paws clashed, and a powerful collision erupted into a vast expanse of white energy waves. Bang! The entire concrete roof caved in. Immediately after, the windows of every house around the house shattered almost simultaneously. Their collision caused the entire area to tremble. The roof collapsed, and Austin crashed through it into the house. After using the 100 times of strength, Austin¡¯s right arm broke into pieces. However, his super self-healing ability rapidly healed his right arm. With cells that could evolve automatically, Austin would only become stronger the more he fought. As for the Nekomata¡­ After taking a punch from Austin, a hole appeared in the cat¡¯s claw. The punch sent its massive body flying into the sky. ¡°Heh, I won.¡± Austin, who laid in the ruins of the house, looked like he was about to fall apart. He raised his left hand, aimed at the night sky above him, and clenched his fist. ¡°Detonate!¡± Instantly, all the burning flames on the roof controlled by Austin shot towards Nekomata. After the cat became enveloped by the raging fire, Austin immediately controlled the air and injected rich oxygen into it, directly detonating the giant fireball. Boom! A large explosion erupted to light up the night sky. The flames scattered like fireworks and gradually dissipated. The burnt Nekomata fell from the sky and landed on the ground. ¡°This high-level beast is my kill.¡± Austin dragged his aching body to find the cat and pressed his palm on it. After a while, the system notification sounded: ¡°Ding! The host has come into contact with a high-level vicious beast, Nekomata. Cell evolution. Speed increased. Agility increased. Strength increased. Acquired ability increased greatly. Hair increased.¡± ¡°Hair increase¡­¡± Austin froze. He remembered an anime about a ninja village before the apocalypse. There was a white-haired legendary ninja who could use his hair to execute a series of ninjutsu. With the previous abilities from Exploding Arrow Porcupine and Nekomata¡¯s hair growth, can I execute some of the moves of that white-haired ninja? Austin immediately gave it a try. His hair grew crazily, then hardened like sharp needles before finally shooting out. Tatatata¡­ Needle-like hair pierced onto the ground, raising a cloud of dust. If I can use this move well enough, it should have an unexpected effect. Austin thought as he searched for the tracker in the Nekomata¡¯s body. ¡°Mm?¡± ¡°Why isn¡¯t there¡­?¡± Austin froze. ¡°Wait! Austin thought of something and slowly widened his eyes. ¡°The cat is indeed a high-level beast, but it doesn¡¯t have any tracking devices that the royal family injected into it.¡± ¡°In other words, it is not the injured high-level vicious beast!¡± To put it another way¡ªAustin had single-handedly killed a healthy high-level beast! Austin had no idea how the Nekomata managed to sneak into the heavily guarded town. For the time being, it was not something Austin should be thinking about at the moment. ¡°Nevermind. It¡¯s a little wasted. I¡¯d better go back and check on Catherine. I hope she¡¯s okay.¡± Austin rubbed his nose gloomily. As for Catherine¡¯s safety, Austin was not too worried. As long as she did not encounter the injured high-level beast or other mid-level beasts, Catherine should not be in any danger. When she returned to her room, Catherine waited anxiously. Seeing Austin return, Catherine immediately went up to him and grabbed his arm nervously. She asked worriedly, ¡°Austin, are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine. You¡¯re hurting me.¡± Austin grinned as he took a deep breath. His injuries from fighting with the Nekomata had not fully recovered yet. With Catherine squeezing, it would naturally hurt. However, Austin was more of faking it. He could not help but smile when he saw how flustered his sister was. ¡°Brother¡­ what should we do?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no medicine here. We¡¯ll go to the pharmacy in town and see if we can find some bandages and medicine for your injuries.¡± Catherine was concerned. ¡°It¡¯s been decades. How could there be bandages or medicine left? They would have expired even if there is any.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s nothing serious.¡± Austin scratched Catherine¡¯s nose. ¡°Really?¡± Catherine studied Austin¡¯s injury suspiciously. She wished she could rip off all of Austin¡¯s clothes and examine them properly to see if he was lying, but Catherine would not dare. ¡°Yes, of course. I¡¯ll lie to anyone but my sister. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s still early. Go get some sleep.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re the one sleeping!¡± Catherine insisted for Austin to sleep while she would take over as the sentry for the night. Austin could not change her mind and had no choice but to sleep. Meanwhile¡­ At the edge of the Vicious Beast Town, one magic barrier had a huge hole torn open! From time to time, dazzling sparks would shoot out from the gap of the magic barrier, making hissing sounds¡­ Chapter 25 After a night of fighting, more than half of the thousand apprentice magisters had died. The remaining magisters were glad that they had survived the night. At the same time, they had experienced what the night in the hunting area would be like in advance. ¡°I¡¯m alive?¡± An apprentice magister crawled out from under the carpet of an underground warehouse. He was something else as he hid under the carpet in the underground warehouse instead of in the open. ¡°I¡¯ll become the first place for this exam!¡± A man with spiky hair and upturned eyes, his back leaning against a tree trunk, opened his sleepy eyes. He opened his tactical backpack to reveal five bronze tracking devices. Although he did not have any silver tracking device, it was good enough for an apprentice magister to kill five low-level beasts. In fact, before the exam, the man had followed his father to the hunting area to train and gain combat experience. Otherwise, it would be difficult for an apprentice magister to obtain such good results on his first exam. It was a dilapidated house and an ordinary master bedroom. Catherine yawned and woke up to the alluring aroma of grilled meat. ¡°Austin?¡± She looked outside. Austin was indeed grilling meat. Another unfortunate vicious beast became the siblings¡¯ breakfast. ¡°Silverback Wolf King, a mid-level vicious beast. It ran up our roof last night and howled.¡± Austin rotated the brown-gold legs and explained the origin of the breakfast. ¡°Mid-level vicious beast¡­¡± Catherine was somewhat numb. Another one! There were a total of four intermediate-level beasts in the exam, and half of them had fallen into Austin¡¯s ¡°clutches¡±. After Austin killed the Silverback Wolf King, his cells evolved to obtain an ability¡ªHowl of the Wolf. With this ability, there was a probability that Austin could summon a wolf pack that had a lower level than him! ¡°Could you check how many tracking devices we have in total, sister?¡± Austin took a pinch of salt with his fingers and sprinkled it on the grilled leg. ¡°Well, let me see.¡± Katherine dug her backpack to check on yesterday¡¯s results. ¡°There are a total of 38 bronze and two silver tracking devices.¡± Catherine answered. Most of the tracking devices were, of course, Austin¡¯s doing. Austin sprinkled another handful of cumin powder. ¡°Not a lot,¡± he mused. ¡°I don¡¯t know if anyone has hunted more beasts than we did.¡± ¡°There¡¯s still some time left before the end of the exam. We should take this opportunity to gain more combat experience.¡± ¡°Catherine, we¡¯ll carry on with the hunt after breakfast.¡± ¡°Sure, brother.¡± Catherine nodded in agreement. Other apprentice magisters would have been eager to return to the city as soon as possible, but this pair of siblings continued their hunt after breakfast. The exam was coming to an end. More and more apprentice magisters gathered at the transportation station of Vicious Beast Town. Most of the apprentice magisters looked battered and exhausted. Their bodies were tattered and covered in wounds. Elder Chuan, Cass, Ankti, and the other examiners stood in front of the transportation station. The assistant examiners began to tabulate the results. The surviving apprentice magisters lined up and took out their tracking devices. Cass said in a low voice, ¡°After the test of life and death, these recruits will be more composed.¡± Ankti frowned. ¡°But there were also many casualties this time. More than a thousand apprentices took the exam, but only two hundred survived.¡± More than half of them had died! Elder Chuan leaned on his walking stick and answered, ¡°We added mid-level vicious beasts and one injured high-level vicious beast. It did increase the difficulty of the exam greatly.¡± ¡°To be able to survive the exam this time, they are decent enough.¡± ¡°If they could kill one or two low-level beasts, that¡¯ll make an excellent magister!¡± Considering the difficulty of the exam, the chief examiners had long since come up with new standards. Killing a low-level vicious beast would be considered qualified. Killing two to three low-level vicious beasts showed that the magister had great potential. If anyone were to kill five low-level beasts, there was no doubt that he was a prodigy sought after by all the major factions in Faye City. As for hunting mid-level vicious beasts, even if it was just one, it was enough for him to enter the Thunder Magister Guild. ¡°Bauer. Killed zero low-level beasts.¡± ¡°Zeitel. Killed one low-level vicious beast.¡± ¡°Silver. Killed one low-level vicious beast.¡± ¡­ The assistant examiners recorded the results and announced the number of beasts that every apprentice magister had killed. There were a few zeros, which meant that they were unable to hunt any. Everyone here had survived in the Vicious Beast Town for one day and one night. A kill count of one was the norm for the surviving apprentice magisters. Those who could kill two to three low-level vicious beasts were rare. For example, when Cass had hunted three low-level beasts, many apprentices exclaimed in admiration. It was the upturned-eyed man¡¯s turn to step forward. With a grim, cocky expression, he pulled out five bronze tracking devices from his backpack. The assistant examiner looked at the man in surprise and announced loudly, ¡°Mo. Killed five low-level vicious beasts!¡± The man named Mo had his hands in his pockets. He walked to the side coldly and accepted everyone¡¯s admiring gazes. ¡°Gasp, how did he manage to kill five low-level beasts?¡± ¡°Wow, he¡¯s too strong, isn¡¯t he? We¡¯re both apprentice magisters, but he can kill vicious beasts while I almost died!¡± ¡°Comparisons are odious.¡± ¡°Without a doubt, he is the first place in this official magister exam.¡± Mo snorted, clearly acknowledging the fact that he was the top performer among everyone. Ankti, the Martian hunter, whispered to Cass. ¡°Mo is a good prospect, as expected of Wu¡¯s son.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity that he¡¯s Wu¡¯s son. He¡¯ll join his father¡¯s hunting team in the future. We can¡¯t recruit him.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. There are still many decent apprentice magisters.¡± The chief examiners had already begun to determine which magisters to recruit. Elder Chuan remained unmoved and continued to lean on his walking stick. Even on Mo¡¯s performance, the elder only nodded slightly. Time passed bit by bit. There were fewer and fewer apprentices who came forth. Those apprentice magisters who had done well did not take out more than five tracking devices. Hika looked down from a height, frowning delicately. Why aren¡¯t the Austin siblings back yet? She thought worriedly. Chapter 26 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The assistant examiner looked at the time and announced loudly, ¡°The exam is almost over. The ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯ transport will arrive shortly, and we¡¯ll return to Faye City.¡± Hearing that, Mo heaved a sigh of relief and smiled. He would be in first place in this official magister exam, after all. By then, his name would circulate throughout the city! How did his father become a legendary tier-four magister? Was the level of a tier-four magister very high? It was not the highest tier in the world. The reason why Wu became a legend was that he was always number one in everything he did. First place in the official magister exam! Top of the tier-two magister assessment! Among the tier-four magisters in Faye City, Wu ranked first as well! ¡°No one can surpass me, nor anyone can possibly surpass me!¡± Mo said to himself. Cass stepped forward to conclude. ¡°From today onwards, you are all official magisters. ¡°When you return to the City of Faye, the Magister Association will issue your bronze magister medals within three days. Remember to collect them. ¡°Remember! Hunting vicious beasts is a magister¡¯s honor and the cornerstone of protecting our homeland! ¡°The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. I hope that all of you can become stronger and stronger on the path as a magister. ¡°And one day, you might reach the peak and become the first-ever tier-nine magister in the world!¡± Cass¡¯s impassioned speech stirred up the apprentice magisters as they clenched their fists emotionally. Tier-nine magister. A distant dream! However, who would not want to stand at the peak and become the first tier-nine magister in the world? A tier-nine magister would be able to turn the tide and sweep away all the vicious beasts in the world. That would be a legend that would be recorded in human history eternally! Not only were there no tier-nine magister in the Human Faction, but there were also no God-level vicious beasts on the other side. Once a god-level existence appeared on either side, the scales of victory would tilt. Rumble! Rumble! Rumble! A thunderous noise came from the station. The ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯ had arrived. ¡°Alright, as the exam is almost over, and there should be no one left anyway. We shall set off.¡± The assistant examiners prepared to organize everyone to board the transport vehicle. ¡°Wait, the exam has not ended yet!¡± ¡°Wait a while more!¡± Everyone could not disobey the chief examiner. Besides, the exam was not over yet. ¡°By this hour, it¡¯s impossible for anyone else to return.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Those who could come back would have returned long ago.¡± ¡°Dammit! I want to leave this damn place as soon as possible!¡± No one believed that anyone would come back at this time. Those who had not appeared at the station by now were most likely dead. ¡°Bastard lecher. I don¡¯t believe you¡¯ll die so easily.¡± Hika appeared calm on the surface while she clenched her fists subconsciously. She felt uneasy. Although Austin could kill a mid-level beast, the Armored Raging Bear, he might be no match to a high-level beast. Hika was worried that Austin would encounter the injured high-level beast. ¡°Ugh, why should I even be worried? ¡°Yes, I probably want to recruit him. That must be it!¡± Hika found an excuse to tell herself. Time gradually passed. The time was almost up. ¡°Are they dead after all?¡± Hika¡¯s eyes dimmed, and she felt inexplicably stifled. The strong might not necessarily survive by default. In the past, it was not too rare for powerful seeded magisters to lose their lives in the Vicious Beast Town. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­¡± Hika turned around disappointedly. At this moment, someone exclaimed, ¡°Someone¡¯s coming!¡± Hika turned around in surprise and saw a cloud of dust rising from the end of the street. A man and a woman were rushing over at the speed of a cheetah. A few seconds ago, they were still at the end of the street. In just a few blinks of the eye, they had already reached the transport station. ¡°Did we make it in time?¡± Austin asked hurriedly. Hika was about to reply when she remembered that she was a superior level-four magister who should remain reserved. Thus, she opened her bright red mouth but closed it again. The assistant examiner who was in charge of tabulating the results took a look at the time and nodded, ¡°You¡¯re on time.¡± Austin breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good¡­¡± Catherine gasped, her youthful figure outlined by her combat uniform. She rolled her eyes at Austin and complained, ¡°Brother, it¡¯s all your fault. You insisted on hunting that high-level beast and almost made us late.¡± Austin laughed and said, ¡°It¡¯s because that Storm Beast is too careful and fast.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not so bad. We made it, didn¡¯t we?¡± The magisters nearby laughed. The assistant examiner laughed as well. The few chief examiners did not laugh. Instead, they looked at each other in confusion. They knew that the injured high-level beast was the Storm Beast. But the problem was¡­ how did Austin know? The chief examiners did not reveal any information about the high-level vicious beast. Logically speaking, as long as they did not encounter the Storm Beast, they would not know the name of that high-level beast. ¡°Come on, what are you bragging about? Hunting a high-level vicious beast?¡± ¡°I think the two of you combined wouldn¡¯t even be enough to fill the gaps between the teeth of a high-level vicious beast.¡± ¡°Let alone a high-level vicious beast. If you could kill a mid-level vicious beast, I would follow your surname!¡± ¡°If your results are better than mine, I¡¯ll call you Daddy immediately!¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s see how many low-level beasts you have hunted down.¡± Some thought that Austin and Catherine were pretentious, so they began taunting them. ¡°Just clowns.¡± Mo crossed his arms and smiled disdainfully. He did not believe that those two would be able to challenge his first place! The assistant examiner said, ¡°Please present your tracking devices.¡± Austin glanced at them, his lips curling in contempt. ¡°You are killing me. I don¡¯t have sons like you, but I still have to show the examiner to calculate our results. ¡°Catherine.¡± ¡°I know, brother. They¡¯re all in the bag.¡± Catherine picked up her backpack and poured it on the table. Indeed, everyone else pulled out the tracking devices. She poured them out instead. The tracking devices rushed onto the table and piled up into a small mountain! The impact was like an avalanche or a tsunami, and it was shocking. Everyone went silent! Absolute silence! Everyone else was stunned. Catherine scratched the back of her head and smiled shyly. She said to the dumbfounded assistant examiner, ¡°My brother and I were too busy hunting to remember how many tracking devices there were. Please count them.¡± Chapter 27 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Gulp¡­¡± The sound of someone swallowing was especially apparent. It made the already quiet atmosphere even more stagnant. Catherine called the assistant examiner twice before he finally regained his senses. ¡°Huh? Oh, I¡¯ll¡­ count. Let me count.¡± The assistant examiner nodded dumbly and started counting the number of tracking devices on the table. He had never expected to ¡°count¡± tracking devices after all the times he¡¯d been an examiner. Usually, he could tell the number at a glance for two or three tracking devices. It was already good enough to have one at most, so he never needed to count them one by one. Soon, the assistant examiner was stunned again. He saw a silver tracking device and¡­ a gold one from a pile of bronze tracking devices. The silver tracking device represented a mid-level vicious beast. The golden tracking device represented a high-level vicious beast! ¡°Gulp¡­¡± The assistant examiner gulped and announced Austin and Catherine¡¯s results loudly. ¡°Austin and Catherine. Killed 59 low-level beasts!¡± ¡°What!¡± 59 low-level beasts! Everyone doubted their ears. They felt like they had been struck in the head by a bronze bell. They were utterly dumbfounded. If there were seven or eight of them or even a dozen of them, the surviving apprentice magisters might still be able to exclaim. However, 59 low-level beasts were too much to handle. It was impossible to catch up! At what pace did they need to kill 59 low-level Vicious Beasts in a day and night? If they were not fighting Vicious Beasts, then they were on the way to hunt Vicious Beasts. There was simply no time to waste. The assistant examiner coughed dryly and continued, ¡°Two mid-level vicious beasts! One high-level vicious beast!!¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± The crowd was in an uproar. Mo was dumbfounded and exclaimed that it was impossible. Even Elder Chuan, who had remained calm throughout, was dumbfounded. A look of disbelief appeared on his aged face. High-level vicious beast! That was a high-level beast! The level of shock even surpassed the 59 low-level beasts. Unimaginable. Unthinkable. They could not even describe how they were feeling right now. Hika looked toward Austin, her beautiful eyes glowing. Cass and Ankti, the Martian hunter, looked shocked and at the treasure. Elder Chuan¡¯s hands trembled as he held his walking stick. The assistant examiner took a deep breath and said, ¡°Your results are the top in this exam¡­ no, in all the previous exams!¡± Best ever in history!! Mo looked like a defeated rooster as he lowered its head. Honestly, his results were nothing. He had only killed five low-level beasts. Compared to the 59 low-level beasts, two mid-level beasts, and one high-level beast, there was simply no need for comparison. Immediately, many apprentice magisters looked at Austin and Catherine differently. Some looked in admiration, some with fear, and some in doubt. According to the classification of power, tier-one magisters corresponded to low-level ferocious beasts. A tier-two magister corresponded to a mid-level vicious beast. If anyone wanted to hunt high-level vicious beasts, he had to be at least a tier-four magister! Elder Chuan was a tier-four magister. They did not believe that Austin and Catherine were tier-four magisters. ¡°Ahem. Alright, it¡¯s getting late. Let¡¯s get in the vehicle and head back.¡± Old Man Chuan told everyone. Since the Thunder Magister Guild¡¯s tier-five magister had spoken, everyone naturally had no objections. Just as everyone was about to enter the station, Austin suddenly sensed something and frowned. Something seems to be approaching? Austin¡¯s cells had evolved to the point that his intuition had become ever sharper. Especially in a life and death crisis! ¡°Sister, be careful.¡± At that very moment, Austin put his arm around Catherine¡¯s shoulders. The air around them immediately gathered and formed an invisible wall around. ¡°Brother?¡± Catherine¡¯s heart raced. Crack! Suddenly, the ground split open. A hideous sharp dorsal fin split open the ruined path like a broadsword and rushed towards everyone. ¡°Watch out! Vicious beast incoming!¡± Several assistant examiners shouted. Soon, the Royal Garrison Guards stationed at the transport station immediately responded with firepower. The Magitek Battery Guns aimed at the cracked ground and started firing wildly. Large-caliber bullets hit the ground with a clang. The dorsal fins covered in tough cuticles suddenly dove into the ground, avoiding the intense firepower. The next moment. A ferocious and terrifying bloody mouth covered in rounds of jagged teeth suddenly shot up from the ground. Together with the ground, a dozen or so apprentice magisters got swallowed into the mouth. Bang! The huge beast finally revealed half of its true appearance. It was a shark bigger than a 10-ton truck. Its entire body was covered in hard and fine keratin scales with a faint earth aura around it. ¡°Elite-level vicious beast, Earth Shark Dragon!¡± Martian hunter Ankti¡¯s face changed. It was a peculiar and troublesome vicious beast. It was a dragon-like and shark-like beast that could swim freely underground. Matured adults could grow up to a hundred meters. They were extremely terrifying elite-level vicious beasts! ¡°Elite-level vicious beast?¡± ¡°Why would an elite-level vicious beast appear in Vicious Beast Town!¡± The scene turned chaotic. Most of them were just apprentice magisters. In front of elite-level beasts, they were as weak as ants. Probably due to the Earth Shark Dragon¡¯s call, the low-level vicious beasts of the Vicious Beast Town had formed a beast tide to relieve their hunger. The military in the transport station had fully activated! One by one, the magic cannons were activated and locked onto the Earth Shark Dragon and the low-level vicious beasts that were charging over. ¡°Suppress the smaller beast tide in the distance, leave the Earth Shark Dragon to me!¡± At this moment, an elderly voice filled with vigor sounded. Everyone seemed to have found a pillar of strength and stopped panicking. ¡°A mere beast dares to cause trouble in human¡¯s territory? You¡¯re courting death!¡± Elder Chuan became different from his usual amiable appearance. He opened his muddled eyes angrily, his hair stood on end, and a fiery magic power surged around him. Splat! There were also blue electric arcs flashing and jumping around Elder Chuan¡¯s body. A strong gust of air pushed those beside him away. Even Hika, a tier-four magister, was unable to look directly at the ferocious Elder Chuan. ¡°This is the Thunder Magister Guild¡¯s secret technique, Thunder Desolation Hundred Furnace Technique!¡± Austin looked shocked. It was the first time he had seen a human¡¯s Advanced Magic Technique and the first time he had seen a high-level magister fight! As the magic technique activated, magic power surged while wind and thunder blasted along. It was marvelous to witness. Chapter 28 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The previously inconspicuous Elder Chuan caught everyone¡¯s attention immediately. He raised the walking stick in his hand and stabbed it into the ground. ¡°God¡¯s Judgement¡ªThunder God¡¯s Spear!¡± Elder Chuan was like a lion king who ruled over thousands of beasts as he channeled his thunder mana into his walking stick. Made from a unique type of metal, it looked like a mere walking tool for Old Chuan, but it turned out to be his weapon. For a while, it was unknown just how much power the dragon-headed walking stick had accumulated. It was dazzling blue! Boom! As though the walking stick represented God¡¯s authority, it struck the ground. A bolt of blue lightning that was thicker than a water bucket struck down from the sky. Elder Chuan¡¯s figure became drowned out by the blue lightning storm as well. Then, the ground cracked. Blazing blue lightning burst out from the ground and turned into twisted electric arcs that swept in all directions. Anything in its path made crackling sounds and became electrocuted. The low-level vicious beasts that rushed over from the end of the street were instantly electrocuted to death by the lightning bolts. Cass, Ankti, and the other examiners yelled, ¡°What are all of you waiting for? Get in the vehicle! Go!¡± In a panic, everyone rushed to the platform. ¡°Vajra Bell Shield!!¡± Ankti raised his head and shouted. He spread his arms wide, and an abundance of magic power surged out from his body, forming a gigantic golden bell above his head. With a loud ¡®dong¡¯, the golden bell slammed heavily onto the ground, blocking the front of the train station to prevent Elder Chuan¡¯s lightning from harming the apprentice magisters and stationed soldiers. Blazing blue and dazzling lightning crashed into the pure and unadorned golden vajra bell, making a crackling sound with astonishing power. Similarly, no one should underestimate Ankti¡¯s vajra bell shield. Vajra Bell Shield¡ªLv3 magic technique! Austin grabbed Catherine¡¯s hand and squeezed through the crowd toward the Fire Dragon transport. He took a glance behind and was shocked. That was the power of a tier-five magister! That was an Lv1 magic technique¡ªThunder God¡¯s Spear! Austin had underestimated magisters. Now he realized that magisters were equally as powerful. They all lead to the same destination. Magisters and my cell evolution have their advantages and disadvantages. Still, they might be equally powerful at their peak! The evolution of my cells is faster than the cultivation process of magisters, and it is more comprehensive. The development of my abilities should not be weaker than magisters! Austin¡¯s eyes glistened before he looked away. He was a little envious at first. However, Austin now believed in his route to success. In the path of cell evolution, Austin might be the pioneer. However, even if he was alone, he believed that he would eventually reach the top! The path of cell evolution was no weaker than that of a magister. Austin¡¯s ability to hunt high-level vicious beasts was comparable to a tier-four magister. That was the best proof. More importantly, it had only been a few days since Austin embarked on the path of cell evolution. ¡°Brother?¡± Catherine gave Austin a puzzled look. She had the illusion that Austin¡¯s aura had shifted at that moment. There was more confidence and more determination. As for why there was such a change, Catherine did not know. The real battle began. Elder Chuan used Thunder God¡¯s Spear to tear the ground apart and forced the Earth Shark Dragon out of the earth. The Earth Shark Dragon was no pushover. It controlled the ground and used earth spikes to attack Elder Chuan. It was a battle at a higher level which even a tier-four magister would find it difficult to interfere. The only thing they could do was to get inside the Fire Dragon transport vehicle as soon as possible to prevent more incidents. The Vicious Beast Town could not fall, but comparatively speaking, a Fire Dragon transport vehicle was more expensive. Most of the armor on the Fire Dragon transport vehicle came from elite-level or even commander-level vicious beasts! The apprentice magisters entered the vehicle hurriedly. Austin pulled Catherine into the seventh carriage. Before entering the carriage, Austin paused and looked in the direction of the fifth carriage with a puzzled expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Austin?¡± Catherine tilted her head and asked. ¡°A dead man? No¡­ nothing. Maybe I¡¯m mistaken.¡± ¡°Hurry up!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t block the door!¡± With those behind urging, Austin had to pull Catherine into the carriage. Soon, the ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯ started moving. Amidst the rumbling thunder, everyone set off with heavy hearts and began their return journey. As for the battle between Elder Chuan and the Earth Shark Dragon? Whether the beast tide in Vicious Beast Town had died down, or how many casualties there were in the military, the assistant examiners, and the chief examiners. They would know anything after they entered the vehicle. Many magisters clenched their fists. It was the first time they felt so powerless! The ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯ traveled at top speed. Perhaps as a precaution, the Fire Dragon was moving forward at full speed. It was twice as fast as when he came. Austin had never imagined that such a bulky creature could run so fast. Even the ordinary commander-level vicious beasts might not be able to catch up, let alone elite-level vicious beasts. In just half the time, the Fire Dragon returned to Faye City. When they saw the towering fortress standing between the ruins of the wasteland, everyone¡¯s alertness fell and began to relax. On the other side of the tall city wall were traces of human civilization! It was also where their family was! Bang! Bang! Bang! Suddenly, the ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯ transport vehicle shook violently and almost got thrown off the road. Everyone got a fright. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on!¡± ¡°Are we under attack?¡± Austin closed his eyes and extended his senses. Clusters of life force appeared in Austin¡¯s mind. The life force displayed beside him belonged to the magisters in the carriage. Above the carriage, there was indeed a giant bird-like beast attacking the transport vehicle. As for what type of beast it was, Austin did not know. Judging from the level of life force, it was definitely another elite-level vicious beast! Chapter 29 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°F*ck, how dare a feathered animal find trouble in the city? It¡¯s courting death!¡± In the Northern District¡¯s defensive stronghold, at the city¡¯s command center. The square-faced man with a scar and wearing a green coat sneered. ¡°General Lu, you¡¯re cursing again.¡± The magister manning the Northern District surveillance monitors said helplessly. ¡°Tsk, I can¡¯t change it, and I won¡¯t change it!¡± On the giant screen, an armored transport vehicle sped through the ruins and wasteland. It was the returning ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯ vehicle. Above the transport vehicle, a giant golden eagle flapped its wings and rained down arrows at the transport vehicle. ¡°Wang, activate laser cannon number three and shoot that bloody bird down!¡± ¡°Yes, General!¡± The staff immediately relayed the message and controlled the cannon. Laser Magick Cannon was a level-six magitek. It was a heavy weapon and one of humanity¡¯s ultimate weapons. It was also an essential asset for the defense of the Faye city to survive in a land filled with vicious beasts! On the vertical and steep stronghold, a pitch-black hole opened up. A laser magick cannon extended out from within. On the control center¡¯s huge magic mirror, small red rings appeared, as well as the size of the magic stone. ¡°Laser Cannon No. 3, begin loading up the magic core.¡± ¡°Begin loading up the magic cores!¡± The staff communicated. ¡°Prepare to charge.¡± ¡°Charge begin!¡± ¡°Calculating the trajectory of the beasts.¡± ¡°Target locked on. No blockage and refraction in range.¡± ¡°Charge complete.¡± ¡°Lock on complete.¡± ¡°General Lu, laser magick cannon number three can be fired!¡± The square-faced man with a scar waved his coat and shouted, ¡°Fire!¡± ¡°Fire¡ª¡± On the giant screen, a red beam of light shot across. It hit the giant golden eagle that was flying above the ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯ transport vehicle. Without any doubt, the laser cannon killed the golden eagle! The huge golden eagle¡¯s corpse fell from the sky and landed heavily outside the railroad. ¡°Eh? The life of that elite vicious beast disappeared?¡± ¡°It got killed instantly¡­!¡± Austin was surprised. The atmosphere in the car was tense and uneasy. No one knew that the golden eagle had died. However, as time passed, they more or less understood what happened when nothing else occurred to the vehicle. ¡°It must be the experts of Faye.¡± ¡°I remember that General Lu, who is one of the four tier-six magisters of the city of Faye, is in charge of guarding the most important northern district.¡± Tier-six magisters. In troubled times, they expanded territories and finished off enemies. During times of prosperity, they guarded the city and protected the people. The people respected them. In most human cities, other than the laser magick cannons, the best guarantee of survival and the best deterrence to vicious beasts was the existence of tier-six magisters! Therefore, there was a saying that it was called City Protector Tier-Six Magister, Border Protector Tier-Seven Magister, Kingdom Protector Eight Magister!! Rumble¡­ The ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯ continued to move forward steadily. Under the northern city wall, the city gate slowly opened. After rounds of inspection, the vehicle reached the station. After everyone alighted the vehicle, most of them had no intention of staying. Some who were good at socializing and were more spontaneous invited everyone to drink and gather for dinner. After all, they were the same batch of magisters considered to have good potential and passed the examination. They could broaden their network and benefit each other in the future. For example, Austin and Catherine were the ones that they fought to befriend. Austin was not interested in socializing. While his younger sister followed whatever her brother says. Thus, Austin rejected all of their invitations. Austin looked at the fourth carriage again. Unfortunately, he did not see what he wanted to see. Could it really be my imagination? Austin shook his head. The assistant examiner who came back with the ¡®Fire Dragon¡¯ transport said, ¡°You can all make your leave. Remember to go to the Magister Association to receive your official magister bronze medal.¡± Someone asked, ¡°Examiner, regarding the recruitment after the exam¡­?¡± The assistant examiner glanced at him and said, ¡°If any important figures or factions are interested in you, they will contact you.¡± ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to report to General Lu on what happened in Vicious Beast Town.¡± Since the town got attacked, they needed to report the situation to their superiors. With nothing else to do, everyone dispersed. Some went to drink and gather together in groups. Some went to relax. Some, like Austin and Catherine, went back to their homes. Once they were out of the transport station, Austin phoned his father and mother to tell them they were safe. Then he went home with Catherine. As soon as they stepped in, the aroma of their mother¡¯s cooking in the kitchen filled the house. Their father sat in a chair facing the door with his eyes fixed on it. When he heard the door open, he immediately stood up to open it. Seeing the door open, he sat down again. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re all back with no arms or legs lost.¡± The loving father¡¯s eyes were red as he nodded. ¡°Are our children back?¡± The wife, who was cooking in the kitchen, heard the sound and came out immediately. She stepped forward and hugged Austin and Catherine as hot tears streamed down her face. ¡°I¡¯m so relieved that both of you are fine. You must¡¯ve lost weight, and who knows how much you¡¯ve suffered.¡± Catherine said coquettishly, ¡°Mom, we didn¡¯t suffer.¡± ¡°We went to Vicious Beast Town for a day. And we ate quite a few meals of grilled meat.¡± ¡°Now that I see meat, I just want some vegetarian food for a change.¡± Her mother rolled her eyes at Catherine and said, ¡°Silly child, don¡¯t try to lie to make me happy.¡± ¡°Yesterday, your father and I spent the day trying to find out how difficult and brutal the official magister exam was.¡± ¡°Surviving is a difficult task, not to mention eating grilled meat.¡± Austin replied, ¡°Mom, aren¡¯t we back safe and sound? ¡°Alright, alright. Let¡¯s go to the kitchen. I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡­ Faye City. Red-light district. Magisters lived on the edge of a blade, and thus many who returned to the base city alive would choose to have fun and relax. Hence, it brought about the red-light district. There were many dark alleys on the colorful streets. Some gorgeously dressed women stood at the entrance of the alley, soliciting customers. A magister, who had returned from the Vicious Beast Town today, approached a flashy woman. Chapter 30 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Hey dear, come and play. Have you just returned from the hunting area?¡± When this woman saw the man in bloodied clothes walking over, she immediately greeted him with a bright smile. Magister was considered a high-income and high-risk career. Therefore, they were usually generous when they came out for entertainment. Women dedicated to their work loved entertaining magisters. ¡°To the corner.¡± That magister croaked. ¡°The corner?¡± ¡°Oh ~ so you want to play here? Sure, Jade will play with you.¡± The working woman named Jade hooked her arm around the magister¡¯s shoulder and walked toward the dark corner in the alley. When they reached the dark, damp, deserted dead end, the magister suddenly grabbed Jade by the throat. At first, Jade thought it was an unusual fetish. However, as the hand gripping her neck exerted more force, Jade felt even more suffocated till she was about to stop breathing. She finally realized that he was serious. He was going to kill her! ¡°H¡­ help¡­¡± Jade rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to cry for help. At that point, the magister opened his mouth, and peculiar red worms crawled out from his throat and violently poured into Jade¡¯s mouth. ¡°Aaargh¡­¡± Jade rolled her eyes while spitting white foam from her mouth as the red-lined monster worms crawled into her mouth. It began to invade her brain through her mouth, her nerve center, and her limbs. When it ended, the magister released his hand and let Jade¡¯s corpse fall to the ground. But a moment later, Jade, who had fallen to the ground, was back on her feet. She looked no different from a living person. She went back to recruiting clients. However, from now on, her service projects were slightly different. It was a life of luxury. In an inconspicuous corner of this cage-like city, there was a mysterious change occurring. ¡­ After dinner, Austin laid on his bed and reviewed the exam. First of all, he had gained a lot as his cells had evolved considerably. However, when he checked his stats panel, he was still quite far from becoming a stage five life form. Austin steeled his resolve to take the path of cell evolution. He decided to develop his abilities more deeply. There was also something suspicious. Why would a high-level vicious beast or even an elite-level vicious beast invade the Vicious Beast Town? There are only low-level vicious beasts in Vicious Beast Town. There is no need to attack the town and initiate a beast tide, right? There were different levels of beast tides. Even if all the vicious beasts in Vicious Beast Town attacked together, it could only be considered a small-scale beast tide. An actual beast tide was like an avalanche. Not only would low-level beasts gather, but even high-level and elite-level beasts were part of such a beast tide. That kind of beast tide required the entire city of Faye to stand guard and defend against it. Forget it. Let¡¯s not think about it first. Even if the sky collapses, there will be someone taller to hold it up. There are four tier-six magisters in the city. What is there to be afraid of? A tier-six magister was an expert comparable to a commander-level vicious beast. Anything below commander-level vicious beasts was all ants to a tier-six magister, so there was nothing to worry about. The most important thing now is to improve and continue to let my cells evolve. Once I have the magister¡¯s medal, I can leave the city alone. There will be more opportunities in the hunting zone. Of course, it¡¯s more dangerous there. Austin preferred the freedom of being alone. Also, being alone in the hunting area meant that he needed to upgrade more to make sure he did not capsize there. He only had one life, and Austin did not want to die young. Speaking of which, Austin was the cautious type. It¡¯ll take three days to get the bronze magister¡¯s medal. In these three days, I still need to strengthen myself. Austin cleared his mind and started searching for information on his phone. ¡°I wonder where I can find the Water Spirit Worm.¡± Austin knew that the life force of the Water Spirit Worm was very tenacious, even surpassing the cockroaches known as Undying Cockroaches. Regardless of whether it was the cold environment close to absolute zero, vacuum, high pressure, high temperature, or even being struck by the all-out attack of a tier-six magister, none of them could kill the Water Spirit Worm. Such a magical creature was simply immortal and indestructible as described in novels! The Water Spirit Worm was tiny as it ranged from five centimeters to one centimeter. It was hard to imagine how such a tiny life form could possess such powerful vitality. If I can come into contact with the Water Spirit Worms, I will have the capital to survive in the outside world after my cells evolve. But where can I find them? Reading this, Austin began to look it up. From the research, Water Spirit Worms were a type of ordinary magical beast that did not have any offensive abilities. They mainly lived in freshwater, damp soil, and mosses, while a few kinds of species lived in the sea. There were more than ten types of Water Spirit Worms, many of which were distributed worldwide. It covered the Northernmost Continent, the desert, the deep sea, and the swamps. They could be found at the peak of Mount Mastor or in the deep sea. Reportedly, there were also such weak magical beasts living in volcanoes. Essentially, it could survive anywhere in the world! Someone had once discovered this kind of magical beast in the Death Domain. The Death Domain referred to places where vicious beasts of level six and above lived. As those beasts usually possessed intelligence and had violent temperaments, very few magical beasts of a lower rank than them could survive in such places. Even plants would find it difficult to grow there. As time passed, not a single blade of grass grew in these places. Thus, they were called the Death Domain. As for the Water Spirit Worms, despite the lack of offensive means, they were discovered there. Hence, their survival abilities were self-evident. The descriptions made Austin¡¯s eyes light up as he sat up excitedly on his bed. ¡°I¡¯ve always thought that Water Spirit Worms live in the deep sea. Under normal circumstances, it¡¯s difficult to come into contact with them.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect them to be so common that they can even be found in mosses!¡± Austin was excited. He could not wait to get up immediately to start searching for the legendary treasure, like a child playing treasure-seeking games when he was young. Austin began to look upon other prominent unique creatures. For example, the Tiger-armored Devil Insect could erupt with a speed that was over 170 times faster than normal! The Wind Cheetah was the fastest magical beast on the continent. Its speed could reach over a hundred kilometers per hour. However, by that ratio, the Wind Cheetah had to run more than 700 kilometers per hour to catch up to the Tiger-armored Devil Insect! There were also the sacred beetles, known as stag beetles. It could push objects that weighed more than a thousand times its weight! Not to mention the Fire Ant, which was far superior to even the Horned Beetle, let alone the Stone Elephant and others. It was like how a person with a weight of 70 kilograms could lift six double-layered buses. Chapter 31 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Apart from the Water Spirit Worms, Sacred Beetles, and Tiger-Armored Devil Insect, the power of the Ink-Tailed Mantis Shrimp could not go unnoticed. The Ink Tail Mantis Shrimp, which was no bigger than 18 centimeters, could unleash a force more explosive than bullets! The large hammer-claws on its chest packed a lot of force. The pair of appendages¡¯ maximum speed could exceed eighty kilometers per hour! It was faster than a five millimeters pistol bullet! Instantly, the high temperature produced by friction could even cause electric sparks to appear in the surrounding water, creating a shock wave from the sea. The power of this punch was 1,500 bulls. If humans had such arm strength, they could throw a baseball into geosynchronous orbit. Besides, since the Ink-Tailed Mantis Shrimp could unleash such a powerful sonic punch, its body was naturally very resistant. Otherwise, with one punch, the enemy would die, and its claws would be fractured. The Ink-Tailed Mantis Shrimp consisted of three different structures, and its hardness could even surpass engineering ceramics of the same thickness. The outermost layer was made up of minerals similar to human bones, and any cracks on the carapace would not expand quickly. The inner layer had multiple layers of fibers arranged in spirals, like a natural bulletproof vest that could deflect external forces by spinning and contracting. The third layer was a fiber-wrapped layer that protected the whole body like the cloth that a boxer wrapped around his fist. It could be both offensive and defensive, stronger than crabs. ¡°This Ink-Tailed Mantis Shrimp is the Godzilla of the shrimp world! It¡¯s too powerful!¡± Austin exclaimed after reading up on the Ink-Tailed Mantis Shrimp. In addition to its superhuman attack and defense, the Ink-Tailed Mantis Shrimp also had a vision far beyond humans. The Mantis Shrimp could see colors, and its color perception covered all the spectrum visible to human eyes and ultraviolet and infrared rays that humans could not see! Humans have binocular vision with three types of photoreceptor cells in the eyes, so humans define the three primary colors of light as red, green, and blue. Compared with the three types of photoreceptor cells that humans possess in their eyes, the compound eyes of a mantis shrimp have between 12 and 16 types of photoreceptor cells. And each compound eye is made up of tens of thousands of clusters of photoreceptor cells. Such a unique eye structure allowed them to see circularly polarized light. If I can get my hands on the Water Spirit Worms and the Ink-Tailed Mantis Shrimp, my cells will evolve and probably reach stage five life form! Austin became even more excited with the thought. The peak of a stage four life form could already kill high-level vicious beasts and was comparable to a tier-three magister! If he advanced to stage five, would it mean that he could compete with a tier-four magister and hunt elite-level vicious beasts? Water Spirit Worms live in a wide area. They exist all over the world and can even be found in cities. But the Ink-Tailed Mantis Shrimp is not as easy. It lives in the sea, and Faye is not near the sea. I didn¡¯t see any Ink-Tailed Mantis Shrimp when I went to the magical beast farm last time. As for the Sacred Beetles and Tiger-armored Devil Insects, they are also quite common. If I spend more time searching for them, I should be able to find them. Austin thought again about the Red Electric Eel. He could not forget the electric discharge ability of the Electric Eel. Although he had developed moves like Burning Fire Blast and Ring of Fire, they still required a fire source. Austin would be in a predicament if his fire magic canister ran out of magic or there was no fire source around. Fortunately, after I hunted the high-level beast, Storm Beast, my cells successfully evolved, and my ability to control air and wind increased from Lv2 to Lv3. The Storm Beast is a high-level beast that looked like a flying squirrel, but it was bigger, covered in scales, and had a nose like a pig. When it spread its limbs, its front and back limbs had flying membranes. A junior storm beast could only glide using the thin membrane of its limbs. When it reached adulthood, the Storm Beast could fly like a bird. At the same time, the Storm Beast¡¯s nose could blast off wind cannons that were as powerful as large-caliber bullets, so it was extremely difficult to deal with. If the Storm Beast had not been injured, Austin¡¯s ability to control air would have countered its ability with ease. Otherwise, it would be difficult to hunt this high-level vicious beast down. By the way, although I haven¡¯t received the bronze medal, I¡¯m already an official magister. I should check out the Magister Forum. The Magister Forum was the exclusive venue created by the Magister Association for all magisters in the world. Only by becoming an official magister could one enter the Magister Forum and experience the power of this forum! Austin rushed to the southern district where the Magister Forum was located with a hint of nervousness and anticipation. The forum was mainly divided into five areas: [Magical World], [Forest of the Legends], [Mutual Support], [Divine Weapons & Elixirs], and [Tales of the World]. Amongst them, [Magical World] mainly communicated and shared the experiences and insights of cultivating Magus Techniques. In [Forest of the Legends], there were all kinds of rankings for busybodies. For example, the Grandmaster Ranking, the Tier-Four Magister Ranking, the Tier-Five Magister Ranking, etc. There were also descriptions of the legendary magisters and other famous experts. [Mutual Support] was the board where missions and quests were issued. Magisters could issue missions and accept missions here. [Divine Weapons & Elixirs] was a trading platform where magisters purchase goods of the Magister Association or sell treasures anonymously. As for whether there was a third-party appraiser, it all depended on whether the seller was willing to find one. [Tales of the World] was purely a place for magisters to chat. Generally, it was the most popular place to go. Every day, all kinds of rumors and gossip came out from [Tales of the World]. Austin thought for a while and opened [Divine Weapons & Elixirs]. Various combat uniforms, divine weapons, and elixirs greeted his eyes. Austin did not cultivate magic skills, but he was very envious of the equipment. Looking at the price, it was naturally as beautiful. ¡°Clomaros Combat Suit. It can withstand the claws of elite-level beasts. And the price is eight gold coins?¡± ¡°10 Spirit Concentration Pills for four gold coins?¡± ¡°Hasar¡¯s Hammer is made from a new type of metal. It can easily tear through the scales of a commander-level beast. It costs¡­ three gold coins!¡± Austin took a casual glance at the items for sale and gasped. These prices¡­ were all too expensive! He could imagine how much money his sister Catherine would burn once she became a magister. She would become a four-legged gold devouring monster! Chapter 32 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The ordinary parents thought that after raising their daughter Catherine into an official magister, they would not need to spend much money. They had no idea how much money a magister would burn. Austin wanted to complain that the money spending had just started. ¡°Sigh, the [Divine Weapons & Elixirs] area is great. It¡¯s a pity that I don¡¯t have the money.¡± Austin went to the other areas of the Magister Forum to take a look. ¡°A new monarch-level beast has been spotted in the Criss-Cross Mountain Range¡ªthe Myriad Mountain Dragon King. Join me to slay the dragon and write our legends!¡± The notice was written with a heroic spirit, the words bold and powerful to make one¡¯s blood boil. Austin peeked at the level of the poster. Good Lord, a bronze marker. The user-level of the Magister Forum was based on the user¡¯s magister level. The poster was only an official magister. The ones who replied were mostly official magisters too. ¡°Let¡¯s form a team. Come and register (1 / 1000).¡± ¡°Count me in (2 / 1000)!¡± ¡°(3 / 1000).¡± ¡°Hahaha. Does anyone honestly think that a thousand official magisters are enough to slay dragons?¡± It was such a boastful petition that drew over a thousand people who placed their interest in it. Austin found it interesting and left a few words on the post. ¡°Myriad Mountain Dragon King, right? Let it live for a few more years. When the day comes, I will return to slay it!¡± Still, his own business was more important! As he spoke, Austin casually looked at the wall covered in red paper. Most were related to a certain tier-three magister who had a couple of scandals with beautiful women. Half an hour had passed. Austin left the [Tales of the World] and headed to the [Mutual Support] region. In this area, magisters could accept missions and issue missions. There were all kinds of missions. ¡°Escorting a group of merchants across the Yellow River¡¯s uninhabited area will require ten tier-three magisters and two tier-four magisters. We will discuss your rewards privately.¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking for the corpse of an elite-level vicious beast, Blazing Fire Lion. Guaranteed generous offer!¡± ¡°Whoever has the rare Nine-Star Spirit-Calling Herb, I¡¯ll trade it for a heavenly treasure of equal value.¡± Austin took note of the rules for issuing missions and posted a notice. The mission notice could hide the user¡¯s level and the user¡¯s name. It ensured the safety of the person who issued the mission. ¡°I need an Ink-Tailed Mantis Shrimp, plus a Red Electric Eel. Private chat to discuss price.¡± After posting it, Austin waited for any replies. After a while, Austin returned home to sleep. The next day. Austin headed to the southern district and entered the Magister Forum. He found a few messages. One said he had a Red Electric Eel. One said he could capture the Ink-Tailed Mantis Shrimp. And they asked Austin how much he could pay. Austin thought for a moment and replied to them with three silver coins and prepared to return home. He did not expect the other party to be here as well. He had just sent the message when the man saw Austin. The other party replied directly, ¡°Are you kidding me? What can three silver coins do?¡± It¡¯s just a Red Electric Eel. Is it that expensive? The man said, ¡°I live in a coastal city. And I have to send this magical beast to your city.¡± ¡°Just the price of the mail alone is never cheap!¡± In the current world, every human city was like an isolated island scattered across the vast sea. Vicious beasts were the endless seawater that separated every island from each other. Because of the vicious beasts, the transportation costs had soared. A Red Electric Eel did not cost much, but the transportation cost was high. Furthermore, an object¡¯s value was in proportion to its rarity. Seafood was rarely seen in inland cities nowadays. Austin replied, ¡°Nine silver coins.¡± The other party was speechless for a moment. ¡°Do you want it or not? Don¡¯t waste my time.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Two gold coins!¡± Austin sucked in his breath. Two gold coins? What an exorbitant demand! ¡°One gold coin. ¡°One gold coin is my final offer. If that doesn¡¯t work for you, I¡¯ll buy from someone else. ¡°I¡¯m sure someone would sell me at that price.¡± The other party fell silent and did not reply. Austin was in no hurry to pursue the matter. Bargaining was all about patience. Austin was not in a hurry and strolled around the other areas. When he returned, he realized that the other party could not resist anymore. ¡°One gold coin is fine, but I can¡¯t guarantee the condition of the Red Electric Eel.¡± Austin smiled. As long as it was a Red Electric Eel, it was fine. He did not have any requirements on whether it was dead or alive. With the same method, Austin bought the Ink-Tailed Mantis Shrimp with one gold coin as well. Two gold coins were gone just like that. Austin could now declare that all his savings were gone. ¡°I¡¯m broke.¡± ¡°I guess when the bronze medal comes down, I¡¯ll have to leave the city as soon as possible to hunt for vicious beasts and earn some money to use.¡± There were a few ways for a magister to earn money. Being recruited by others, such as joining a large corporation, would allow one to receive good pay. It was relatively safe but with less freedom. They also could join the royal family and receive a salary. However, the pay was not as good as the corporations, and with no freedom as well. One good thing was that family members could move into the safer military district and live there. If an emergency occurred, the families of soldiers could evacuate first. Another way was to leave the city to hunt vicious beasts and sell the precious parts to the Magister Association. The material of most combat uniforms and divine weapons came from vicious beasts. He could accept missions and earn a decent amount on the Magister Forum as well. It was a high-risk, high-profit way to earn money, and it had the most freedom. ¡°The more powerful I become, the faster money will roll in. Right now, the most important thing is to improve my powers and let my cells evolve!¡± Austin packed up and prepared to go out and look for the Water Spirit Worm. Chapter 33 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The size of the Water Spirit Worm was only five centimeters to one centimeter, which was the size of a small stone. Fortunately, with his cell evolution, Austin¡¯s eyesight was much better than ordinary people¡¯s. With a closer look, Austin would be able to find Water Spirit Worms that were as small as five centimeters. Austin¡¯s first stop was the grass patch beside his house. According to the information he got from the library, an island country had once found a Water Spirit Worm in the city. Austin decided to try his luck. When he did not find it, Austin relocated again as he looked for puddles, rivers, and other places. Water Spirit Worms mainly survive in freshwater sediment, damp soil, and moist pieces of moss. Austin searched for half the morning and finally found traces of the Water Spirit Worm in a mud pit beside a pond. Austin grabbed the handful of mud and held it in his hand. After a while, an electric current from the depths of his cells flooded his body. It filled his limbs and bones with a strange feeling. There were about 37 trillion cells in the human body. The marvelous electric current originated from 37 trillion cells! ¡°Ding! The host has come into contact with the Water Spirit Worm. Cell evolution. Obtained the ability of indestructibility!¡± ¡°Indestructibility?¡± Austin¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly asked, ¡°What is indestructibility?¡± The system replied, ¡°Ding! Cellular indestructibility. The host possesses super-strong vitality and extreme adaptability.¡± ¡°Host can even survive in a vacuum environment at the moment!¡± Austin became excited. This way, it would not be a problem for him to survive in any hazardous environment. ¡°I¡¯ve found the Water Spirit Worms. Let¡¯s look for more Sacred Beetles and Tiger-Armored Devil Insects!¡± One had extraordinary strength and defense. One was extremely fast. If he could obtain those and get his cells to evolve, it would allow Austin¡¯s capabilities to take a great leap! Fortunately, the Sacred Beetles and Tiger-Armored Devil Insects were easy to find. After some effort searching for the Holy Beetle and Tiger Demon Beetle in the city, Austin eventually found them. ¡°Ding! The host has come into contact with the Holy Beetle. Cell evolution. Obtained a thousandfold increase in strength! A thousandfold increase in defense!¡± ¡°Ding! The host has come into contact with the Tiger-Armored Demon Beetle. Cell evolution. Obtained a hundredfold increase in speed!¡± An intense electric current ran through his body and affected Austin¡¯s 37 trillion cells. The 37 trillion cells evolved together! The muscle groups, skin tissues, bones, organs, and so on formed by cells had all undergone tremendous changes. His heart was beating like a never-stopping furnace. ¡°A thousandfold increase in strength and a thousandfold increase in defense?¡± Austin clenched his fists, and his eyes lit up. Once his attack power and defensive power matched, he no longer had to worry about his physical body being unable to endure a full attack. ¡°I¡¯m rather curious about how much power can my full strike unleash.¡± Austin¡¯s cells were constantly evolving, and his power was also improving. During the examinations, Austin did not need to increase his strength. He could punch more than 2,000 kilograms. Right now, he should have at least five to six thousand kilograms of punching force. If his strength had increased by a thousand times, his punch would have the force of five to six million kilograms. Who could withstand such a punch? Austin originally planned to seduce Hika, who was a tier-three magister. He wanted to hold her hand and interact with her genuinely so that his cells could evolve. Was it necessary now? Could a tier-three magister unleash five to six million kilograms of physical force? Imagine the terrifying destructive power of a 5,000-ton ship shrunk to the size of a fist! Could the armor of an elite-level beast even withstand it? ¡°I now have the assets to enter the hunting area alone. I don¡¯t even need to fear walking through no man¡¯s land.¡± Austin whispered to himself. With this level of strength, he could kill a few elite-level vicious beasts. Not to mention hundreds of thousands, a few million would be a piece of cake! Of course, there was no end to cell evolution. Austin would always think of ways to increase his strength. Since his strength and defense will not increase significantly. For the time being, he would start from other aspects. Ding ding ding¡­! Austin¡¯s magick communicator rang. In this world, the development of magitek has reached a peak. The energy source of magitek was also easy to obtain. The level of technology here was even higher than in Austin¡¯s world. ¡°Could it be¡­¡± Austin¡¯s expression changed as he picked up the magick communicator. ¡°Hello, is this Austin?¡± A kind elderly voice came from the other end of the communication device. ¡°Elder Chuan?¡± Austin asked. Elder Chuan chuckled and said, ¡°Ah, my young friend, you still remember me.¡± Austin said solemnly, ¡°You blocked the Elite-level Earth Shark Dragon all by yourself and bought us some time to escape. I¡¯ll never forget that.¡± Elder Chuan said, ¡°There aren¡¯t many young people like you who have a decent potential yet still so humble.¡± ¡°How are you? Do you have time now? Come to the Magister Association. Let¡¯s have a face-to-face talk.¡± Austin¡¯s eyes flickered around. After the exam, the various factions in the city of Faye began to offer their olive branches to recruit seeded magisters. As expected, Austin became chosen by the Thunder Magister Guild. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be right there. Please wait a moment, President.¡± After Austin hung up the magick communicator, he identified the direction of the Magister Association. ¡°This is a good opportunity to test out the Tiger-armored Devil Insect¡¯s hundredfold increase in speed.¡± Austin bounced about on the spot and moved his neck, wrists, and other joints, making crackling noises. He did not choose to take a taxi as he decided to walk over. With a hundred times the speed, Austin was much faster than a taxi. Strictly speaking, after the 100 times increase in speed, Austin¡¯s running speed was even faster than the Fire Dragon transport vehicle! ¡°Alright, time to give it a try!¡± Austin made a ready run. He gathered his strength. His legs bent while his back arched. Austin¡¯s body was like a longbow ready to strike. In an instant, Austin¡¯s eyes widened as he exerted strength in his legs and charged out. Bang! The ground cracked open, leaving a distinct footprint. Looking at Austin, he had already turned into a blurry shadow and appeared at the end of the street. He was like a dragon that moved as fast as lightning, leaving afterimages behind as he glided through the traffic! Chapter 34 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Whoosh¡ª Austin ran at full speed, and the resulting wind blew up long hairs and skirts, causing the girls on the roadside to scream. Beep! Beep! Beep! The traffic junction at the heart of the city of Faye had another daily jam. Magick-fueled cars were stuck on the road for more than ten kilometers. The drivers waited anxiously. ¡°Can those in front be faster?¡± ¡°It¡¯s so annoying being stuck in traffic every day.¡± ¡°I feel like I can walk faster than my car right now.¡± Right at this moment, an extremely quick afterimage flashed past all the cars in the traffic jam. Many drivers rubbed their eyes, wondering if they had seen it wrongly. ¡°Am I seeing things? Why do I feel like there¡¯s a flash?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s kind of weird.¡± Zoom! Austin began to slow down as he almost reached the Magister Association. After arriving at the Magister Association, Austin realized that his shoes had worn out. The clothes on his body were also almost tattered and could no longer cover Austin¡¯s muscular body. The crowd of pedestrians looked at him suspiciously. Austin¡¯s face turned red as he quickly entered the Magister Association. The central service counter. The receptionist exclaimed, ¡°It¡¯s Austin!¡± ¡°You are¡­ Lucy?¡± Austin remembered the name of the pretty girl in front of him. ¡°You transferred to this counter?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Lucy nodded her head and took a peek at Austin¡¯s exposed abs. ¡°Why are you here today? The last time I gave you my name card, and you didn¡¯t look for me¡­¡± Luxi pouted her red lips and sulked. Austin saw the sulky look in the pretty girl¡¯s eyes and remembered about the card. ¡°Oh, I forgot about it when I was preparing for the official magister exam. Hahaha¡­¡± ¡°Oh right, the official magister exam. Did you pass?¡± Lucy¡¯s eyes lit up. In Faye city, official magisters were much more popular than ordinary people. To put it in more popular terms, becoming an official magister was equivalent to earning the precedence to choose a spouse. ¡°Yep, I passed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not too surprising. It¡¯s only natural for you to pass when you can pack 10,000 kg of force in one punch.¡± Lucy beamed and clapped her hands. ¡°So you¡¯re here today to get the Magister¡¯s Medal? ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it won¡¯t be available for your collection so soon. You might have to come and get it the day after.¡± Austin said, ¡°I know. I¡¯m not here to get the bronze medal. I¡¯m here to look for Mr. Chuan.¡± ¡°Mr. Chuan? Which Mr. Chuan?¡± ¡°The president of the Thunder Magister Guild branch in Faye City.¡± ¡°What? That Mr. Chuan!¡± Luxi was shocked. The Thunder Magister Guild was way too famous! The position of the branch president of the Thunder Magister Guild was impressive naturally. It was not just a representation of ability, but also reputation and character! ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s President Chuan looking for you?¡± Lucy asked in bewilderment. Austin nodded. ¡°Then¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll make a call to check!¡± Lucy immediately made a call to the upper echelons of the Magister Association in Faye City. After a while, a lady walked out from the Magister Association¡¯s VIP area. ¡°Are you Mr. Austin?¡± A tall and graceful lady in a purple robe asked politely. ¡°Right, that¡¯s me,¡± Austin said. ¡°Mr. Austin, please come this way.¡± The lady led Austin to a lounge in the VIP section. Austin sized up the room. The room was decorated luxuriously. Austin sat on the couch made from cowhide of vicious beast while the lady served him tea and prepared fruits. Just looking at the voluptuous beauty¡¯s busy figure was a form of enjoyment. ¡°Mr. Austin, please wait a moment. Mr. Chuan will be here soon.¡± The lady completed the fruit plate and spoke to Austin. Austin nodded nonchalantly and leaned back on the sofa, spreading his arms comfortably. He closed his eyes to empty his mind while his five senses became much sharper. He activated his super-perception! Instantly, all sorts of sounds and smells came from within a 500-meter radius around Austin. Austin could also sense the heat from living things which formed thermal imaging in his mind. Soon, Austin heard President Chuan¡¯s footsteps and breathing. He could sense the immense heat from President Chuan¡¯s body. The door opened, and an elderly gentleman with a walking stick walked in. ¡°Elder Chuan.¡± Austin said in an adequate tone. Old Man Chuan nodded his head in approval. ¡°Not bad. You are able to remain calm!¡± ¡°You flatter me, Elder Chuan.¡± Austin said humbly. Elder Chuan probably would never have imagined that the young man in front of him was strong enough to kill him with one punch. ¡°Have a seat.¡± ¡°I called you over today for one simple reason. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve guessed it by now.¡± Austin asked, ¡°Join the Thunder Magister Guild?¡± Elder Chuan nodded and said, ¡°Joining the Thunder Magister Guild is one thing, but I hope to send you to the God of War Camp!¡± ¡°God of War Camp?¡± Austin looked puzzled. Why had he not heard of the God of War Camp before? Elder Chuan said, ¡°The God of War Camp is our future. It exists to nurture the top geniuses in the world under the God Creation Project.¡± ¡°It has the best teachers, the best magic techniques, and the best resources.¡± ¡°Its main purpose is simple. It is for humans to use everything they have to nurture a tier-nine magister!¡± Tier-nine magister! It turned out that the camp¡¯s mission was to nurture tier-nine magisters. It was no wonder that the major countries in the world could set aside their differences and work together. As long as humans could create a tier-nine magister, it would resolve the vicious beast crisis at its root. The God of War Camp was a place to create gods! Austin was shocked. ¡°The first requirement to enter the God of War Camp is to become a tier-four magister before the age of 25.¡± Elder Chuan continued. How difficult was it to become a tier-four magister before the age of 25? After all, Elder Chuan was only a tier-four magister. Austin took a deep breath and asked, ¡°Elder Chuan, has the God of War Camp ever successfully cultivated a tier-nine magister?¡± Chapter 35 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Elder Chuan shook his head and said, ¡°As far as I know, there isn¡¯t any.¡± Austin frowned for a moment before relaxing. The entire world used all their resources and the combined power of the various countries to carry out the God Creation Project, yet they could not create one tier-nine magister? It shows how difficult it is to become a god! Austin began to ponder how many stages of life form could correspond to a tier-nine magister. Elder Chuan said, ¡°In my opinion, among all the experts in the world, only Gym Master Lei Hong is the most likely to break through to become a tier-nine magister.¡± ¡°The others are still not enough.¡± Elder Chuan changed the topic and said, ¡°Still, the God of War Camp had provided many tier-five and six magisters for the various countries!¡± ¡°Before the birth of a tier-nine magister, tier-five magisters and tier-six magisters will always be the cornerstones of the various countries! ¡°I understand,¡± Austin said. ¡°If you want to enter the God of War Camp, you have to complete the assessment of hunting an elite-level ferocious beast alone. ¡°Although you can kill injured high-level beasts now, you are still far from challenging elite-level beasts. ¡°Work hard, young man. You should join the Thunder Magister Guild before finding the opportunity to enter the God of War Camp.¡± Although Old Man Chuan knew that Austin did not have any magic talent, he still valued Austin. Austin replied, ¡°Well, Mr. Chuan, I don¡¯t intend to join the Thunder Magister Guild.¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll arrange for you to enter¡­ Wait. What did you just say!?¡± Elder Chuan¡¯s eyes widened. He thought he had misheard it. How could anyone refuse to join the Thunder Magister Guild? Austin replied, ¡°Thank you for your kind intentions, but I have no intention of joining the Magister Guild.¡± Elder Chuan looked at Austin in shock as he pressed his palm on the table for support. The palm lines¡­ were visible! ¡°Why?¡± Elder Chuan took a deep breath and calmed himself down. Austin asked calmly, ¡°Elder Chuan, is there any form of restriction joining the Magister Guild?¡± Elder Chuan replied, ¡°Although the Magister Guild isn¡¯t as restrictive as the royal family, as a member of the Magister Guild, we still have to abide by the rules!¡± The elder did not specify any rules, but rules were restrictions themselves! Austin smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m used to being free, so joining the Thunder Magister Guild isn¡¯t my best option. ¡°It¡¯s not just the Thunder Magister Guild. I don¡¯t plan on joining the royal family or any other hunting teams either.¡± Simply put, Austin did not intend to join any factions. ¡°Moreover, I¡¯m sure you know that I don¡¯t have any magic talent. ¡°If I join the Thunder Magister Guild, I won¡¯t be able to cultivate any of the more profound magic techniques. I might even become ostracized by the other members of the Guild. So why bother? ¡°I¡¯m only relying on my divine strength now. ¡°When my divine power diminishes, that will be where I finish.¡± Elder Chuan nodded. Austin did not reveal the most important reason. He worried that if he joined, the secret of his system would become exposed eventually. After all, for a person without the talent of a magister to improve at such a rapid pace, it was inevitable that other people in the Guild of Magic would be doubtful, jealous, and even target him. No one could say what would happen then. ¡°But¡­¡± Austin looked at Elder Chuan and said sincerely, ¡°I recommend my sister Catherine join the Thunder Magister Guild.¡± Elder Chuan smiled and nodded. ¡°Your sister¡¯s aptitude, temperament, and combat talents are indeed excellent. ¡°Even without your recommendation, I¡¯ll send her an invitation.¡± ¡°Thank you, President.¡± Austin felt relieved that his sister could enter the Thunder Magister Guild. Unlike himself, Catherine had the talent to become a decent magister. Austin could only take the path of cell evolution. The resources of the Thunder Magister Guild were far superior to other factions. ¡°Oh right, there¡¯s one more thing I want to ask you, sir.¡± Elder Chuan smiled kindly. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Austin said, ¡°That day, the Earth Shark Dragon attacked the town of beasts. What happened?¡± Elder Chuan replied, ¡°It¡¯s just an elite-level vicious beast.¡± ¡°Such a small beast tide became quickly suppressed by myself and the royal family.¡± Austin frowned and said, ¡°But why would an elite-level beast appear in the Vicious Beast Town?¡± Elder Chuan said, ¡°Maybe it accidentally barged in.¡± ¡°After we suppressed the beast tide, we investigated and found that a hole was torn open by the Earth Shark Dragon¡¯s dorsal fin on a west fence of the town. ¡°Furthermore, due to the earth-type shark dragon, lightning is not much of a threat to it, so the earth-type shark dragon must have entered from there.¡± Upon hearing Elder Chuan, Austin¡¯s eyes lit up as his brain began to think rapidly. On the night of the exam, Austin hunted another high-level ferocious cat. Presumably, that cat had entered Vicious Beast Town through the hole created by the Earth Shark Dragon. There was a problem. According to the time when the cat appeared again, it meant that the Earth Shark Dragon had broken through the Magic Barrier of Vicious Beast Town earlier and sneaked in. Why didn¡¯t they attack the transportation station immediately after entering Vicious Beast Town? Instead, they lurked around? Why did it choose to attack after the official magister exam had ended? Could it be that they are gathering the vicious beasts from the Vicious Beast Town so that they can capture all the magisters who are here for the exam?¡± Is that really the case? Something feels off¡­ Austin felt uneasy. After his cells evolved, his sixth sense became exceptionally sharp. ¡°Well, my young friend Austin, you don¡¯t need to think too much about it. ¡°We¡¯ve already settled the issue with the Earth Shark Dragon. Vicious Beast Town is safe and sound.¡± Elder Chuan stood up and patted Austin on the shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s all for now. I shall take my leave.¡± After that, he turned around and left the lounge. After the meeting, Austin prepared to leave. However, a tall and beautiful lady entered the room right after Elder Chuan left. ¡°Hika?¡± Austin looked at her in surprise. Chapter 36 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Hika had changed out of her combat suit. Her high heels and dark-colored stockings made her legs look extra slender. Thanks to her training, her legs were well-proportioned. Austin¡¯s eyes darted around. Beautiful legs. At the same time, Hika slowly walked toward him. She leaned forward and supported herself on the table with both hands. ¡°Why can¡¯t I come?¡± ¡°Hmm, I seem to have arrived too late. I let Elder Chuan beat me to it.¡± Austin replied, ¡°You¡¯re not late. I didn¡¯t choose to join the Thunder Magister Guild.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Hika cried out before bursting into laughter. She lifted Austin¡¯s chin with one hand and said, ¡°Are you waiting for me?¡± Austin smiled. Was she teasing him? Austin raised his hand and grasped Hika¡¯s slender wrist. He pulled her close and sat her on his lap. Hika slightly struggled as she tried to break free but realized that there was nothing she could do. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Shika looked in disbelief. To her surprise, she could not break free from the hands of a mere official magister? So this was the divine strength? Unable to break free, Hika simply stopped struggling and hooked her arm around Austin¡¯s shoulder. It was then when she felt how strong and developed Austin¡¯s muscles were. ¡°Speaking of which, kid, what happened to your clothes?¡± Since Austin ran over for the meeting, the journey ruined his shoes and even blew his clothes into rags. ¡°I miss you so much that my clothes have torn apart to meet you.¡± Austin boldly placed his arm around Hika¡¯s tiny waist and smiled. Hika¡¯s body trembled, and he poked Austin¡¯s muscles with a smile as he said, ¡°What a glib-tongued little kid. So how about it? Want to join the Chamber of Commerce?¡± Austin asked, ¡°What¡¯s the benefits?¡± ¡°Benefits? ¡°Do I count?¡± Hika blinked at Austin. He had to admit that she was good-looking. She was a different type of beauty from his sister. Austin laughed at her attempt to tease him. She seemed unafraid that she would get eaten until there was nothing left. Austin said, ¡°I¡¯m used to freedom, so I don¡¯t favor joining any faction.¡± ¡°Otherwise, why do you think I rejected Elder Chuan for the chance to join the Thunder Magister Guild?¡± Hika looked at him in surprise and said, ¡°You¡­ you mean you reject the Thunder Magister Guild for your so-called freedom, right?¡± Austin nodded. Hika¡¯s mouth fell open slightly as she became momentarily speechless. There was actually someone who rejected the Thunder Magister Guild just because he could not bear the constraints. Should she say that he was unshackled and unrestrained? Or that he was arrogant and conceited? ¡°Although I won¡¯t be a part of the Chamber of Commerce, I can still make friends.¡± Austin said as he rubbed Hika¡¯s palm. Hika swatted Austin¡¯s hand away and said, ¡°Go away. You don¡¯t even want to join the Faye City Chamber of Commerce. And you dare take advantage of me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m only nineteen. You¡¯re already in your twenties. How can you say that I¡¯m taking advantage of you?.¡± Austin laughed and released Hika. ¡°Stinky kid, you¡¯re saying I¡¯m old?¡± Hika stared at him, pretending to lunge at him, and made threatening gestures. ¡°Your age doesn¡¯t matter. I like mature women,¡± Austin said quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance to apologize. Treat me to dinner tonight!¡± Austin wanted to say yes, but he remembered that he was penniless and did not have a single cent. How could he treat someone to a meal? ¡°Are you paying for me this time?¡± Hika felt exasperated. ¡°You want me to pay?¡± Austin threw up his hands and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice because I don¡¯t have any money now.¡± Hika was speechless with anger. Many young elites and rich second-generation men who wanted to treat her to a meal got rejected. Yet, now that Hika had taken the initiative, Austin asked her to pay for him? Hika was furious, of course. However, to befriend Austin, a meal was nothing. ¡°I¡¯ll see you at the Liboli Hotel at 7 PM tonight!¡± Hika stomped off. ¡°The Liboli Hotel? It¡¯s the most luxurious hotel in Faye City. Hmm¡­¡± Austin thought with anticipation. After Hika left, the Martian hunter, Ankti, came in. Austin was a wanted man as representatives of the major powers in Faye scrambled to invite him. After all, Austin¡¯s performance in the official magister exam was too astonishing. He could have killed one low-level vicious beast to pass the exam. Yet, Austin had hunted down mid-level beasts and even high-level beasts. A high-level vicious beast was comparable to a tier-three magister. A tier-three magister could be considered an expert in a base city. They would be treated as an honored guest in any factions they join. No wonder Austin had become so popular. They were not inviting an official magister but a tier-three magister! The Martian hunter went straight to the point and invited Austin to join the famous hunting team in Faye City¡ªthe Stars Hunting Team. In which, the vice-captains used Mars, Mercury, Saturn, and Venus as codenames. And the captain was the Jupiter Hunter! For a hunting team to have four tier-three magisters and a tier-four magister, it was no wonder they were famous in Faye city. The Martian hunter promised numerous benefits, and Austin was rather tempted. Unfortunately, Austin had never intended to join the hunting team. Dividing the spoils was always a problem. Austin only wanted to sell everything he hunted and earn profit without the need to argue with others. As expected, Cass from the royal family arrived shortly after Ankti left. Apart from promising all sorts of benefits, Cass even brought up social responsibility. ¡°Lord Cass, even if I don¡¯t join the royal family, I will still do my best to protect my home.¡± Austin refused without saying much. Other major forces in Faye City had extended olive branches to Austin. However, Austin had rejected all of them. Austin was ready to leave. Before that, he received a metal box. Chapter 37 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Elder Chuan¡¯s gift?¡± Austin looked at the dull-colored metal box in front of him. The staff member who delivered the box nodded and said, ¡°Yes, President Chuan asked me to pass it to you.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± Austin nodded and studied the thick metal box. In the middle of the box, there was a metallic flame-throwing symbol that was exceptionally eye-catching. ¡°Is this¡­?¡± Austin immediately opened the box to verify his conjecture. Inside were elbow guards, knee guards, breastplate, helmet, and combat uniform. The components of the Vulcan Combat Suit lay quietly in the box of black cotton cushions. ¡°It¡¯s really the Vulcan Combat Suit!¡± Austin took a closer look and realized that it was part of the same series as his sister¡¯s Fire God II combat suit. In other words, this set of clothes was worth at least a hundred gold coins. Now I owe Elder Chuan a favor. Austin thought to himself. Elder Chuan must have noticed Austin¡¯s clothes, so he did him a favor and gave Austin a combat suit. Although a hundred gold coins might not mean much to Elder Chuan, it was a large sum to Austin. If I were to return it, it would make me seem unreasonable. I guess I¡¯ll accept it and find a way to return the favor in the future. Austin carried the metal box and returned to the room to change out of his tattered clothes. He then put on his Vulcan II combat uniform. Austin¡¯s Vulcan II combat suit was dark blue and carbon-fiber. Although the color was different from Catherine¡¯s, it was still handsome. ¡°Nice.¡± Austin moved his limbs slightly and felt extremely relaxed. Although it looked tight-fitting, the ventilation and flexibility of the suit were much superior to ordinary clothes. As for the armor components, they were optional. The armor components would increase the overall defense of the combat suit. But there were gains and losses. With the external armor, it would reduce the flexibility of the combat suit considerably. Why were combat suits so expensive? Not only were the materials expensive, but the defense attributes were also high. It had plenty of variants, after all. ¡°With this combat uniform, I don¡¯t have to worry about my clothes tearing apart again when I run at full speed,¡± Austin said. After leaving the Magister Association, the sky had already darkened. He felt that he did not do much at the Magister¡¯s Association, but it still took up the entire afternoon. ¡°I should have dinner at the Liboli Hotel later. Better tell mom that I¡¯m not going home for dinner.¡± Austin called his mother and told her the news. After that, Austin traveled towards the Liboli Hotel. The beautiful setting sun. The distant fortress walls formed a black silhouette in front of the orange-red sun. It rose and fell uniquely. It was like a clash of magic, industrial design, and ruins that blended perfectly. With Austin¡¯s eyesight, he could even see the patrolling magisters on the city wall. They walked out of the resting room and peeked out carefully. ¡°Father is getting old. It¡¯s time to earn money so that mom and dad can retire and enjoy life.¡± Austin muttered. His desire to earn money was as strong as the desire to become more powerful. ¡°Alright, time to go.¡± Whoosh! Austin made a mad dash and accelerated abruptly. Like an arrow leaving the bow, he turned into a shadow and weaved through the streets. The Liboli Hotel sat in the southern part of the city of Faye. The building was so tall that one could see the ruins of the ¡°last century¡± beyond the south city wall. As a result, the penthouse restaurant on the top floor of the Liboli Hotel became popular among the upper class. They prefer to sit by the window and enjoy luxurious meals while looking at the ruins in the distance. The restaurant also had binoculars that allowed the guests to view the beasts in the hunting area. Hika went home in the afternoon. She changed into a wine-red evening gown, put on a carefully selected necklace, and drove a customized magick car to the 215-meter-tall Liboli Hotel. There were plenty of famous people in the penthouse restaurant., but Hika was still the brightest star of the night. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the heiress of the Faye City Chamber of Commerce?¡± ¡°She is a genius magister with excellent aptitude. She is already a tier-three magister.¡± ¡°Her looks, wealth, and ability are all top-notch. It¡¯s hard to find someone who can catch up to her in the future.¡± ¡°What do you think she is doing over here? Did some young elite manage to ask her out?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Hika has always been single. She might treat people warmly, but that¡¯s her disguise as a businesswoman. She¡¯s an iceberg beauty.¡± ¡°So, she came to eat alone?¡± The celebrities were whispering and discussing. Hika was too dazzling, not just because of the diamond pendant she wore, but because she looked amazing herself. Hika found a table by the window. The waiter stood at the side and asked softly, ¡°Miss Hika, a table for how many?¡± ¡°Two. ¡°Please wait for a moment as he¡¯s not here yet.¡± The waiter nodded and left. It caused quite a stir among the celebrities. ¡°She didn¡¯t come alone.¡± ¡°Gosh. Did you hear that? She¡¯s meeting someone. And she¡¯s the one waiting, not that guy.¡± ¡°I wonder who¡¯s the handsome guy who can melt this iceberg?¡± ¡°I think this news will make the headlines tomorrow!¡± Hika was used to being the center of attention at such places. Resting her chin on her hand, she tilted her head and silently looked out the window at the hunting area shrouded in the setting sun. In the eyes of many ¡®fat cats¡¯ oblivious to the bones of the frozen dead, it was a unique and beautiful scene. However, as far as Hika was concerned, it was the place where countless warriors fought for the freedom of humans and defended their families with their lives. ¡°When will humans truly defeat the vicious beasts and retain freedom?¡± ¡°Now that humans are trapped in a cage and find a short period of peace, they wallow in such lifestyles. How ridiculous.¡± Hika snickered and shook her head. As the heiress of the Faye City Chamber of Commerce and a powerful tier-three magister, Hika¡¯s admirers could queue up from the east city wall to the west city wall. However, Hika had no interest in those rich second-generation heirs. It was not that she did not like men. On the contrary, like a young girl, Hika dreamed of finding the right man. She dreamed of finding someone heroic and dared to take on responsibilities and power. ¡°Austin¡­ Austin¡­, when are you going to get here? You¡¯re not seriously going to arrive at seven exactly, are you?¡± Hika¡¯s jade-white fingers rubbed on the rim of the crystal cup. Chapter 38 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios On the other side, Austin was on his way to the hotel. Far off in the distance, flames shot into the sky. Immediately after, an ear-splitting boom echoed above the city. ¡°An explosion? What happened? ¡°Isn¡¯t that the direction of the magic core power plant?¡± Austin was shocked. That flame was extraordinarily bright, illuminating half the night sky. Austin, who was a few blocks away, could sense the shock wave from the explosion. The windows of the residential buildings and shops closest to the explosion had all shattered. Things like sheds and signboards blasted away. A part of the plant had turned into a sea of fire that burned fiercely. After the apocalypse, humans discovered that the fire scales of a vicious beast could burn very well and produce extremely high temperatures. Humans used it for the extraction and condensation of magic cores. Humans used these fire scales to establish a magic core power plant to supply the city¡¯s energy needs. The explosion of the power plant must have happened at a place storing the fire scales. The fire scales burned, and the power plant became engulfed in a sea of flames. ¡°What happened? How did the power plant explode?¡± ¡°Hurry up and salvage it! The power plant provides half of the energy of the city!¡± ¡°Hold on! What¡¯s more important is the Fire Scale Storehouse! ¡°If the Fire Scale Storehouse explodes, the extent of the explosion will probably demolish the entire southern district, causing an unimaginable disaster!¡± The executives of the power plant received the news of the fire and worked on the response immediately. ¡°It¡¯s no good! The fire is too much, and we can¡¯t stop it!¡± ¡°Too late, it¡¯s too late! The fire will reach the Fire Scale Storehouse soon!¡± The executives of the power plant covered their heads and shouted hopelessly. Austin had no hesitation. Whoosh! He accelerated all the way and turned into a series of afterimages as he rushed into the sea of fire that had engulfed the power plant. There were orange, red, and white flames everywhere while powder-like fire scales flew around. The high temperature created by the burning fire scales made it difficult for any ordinary life forms to approach. Austin stood in the 3,000-degrees Celsius sea of fire, enduring the terrifying heat of the hellish flames. ¡°I can¡¯t let the fire grow anymore here! ¡°I must suppress the fire here.¡± In the fire, the Vulcan II combat suit that Austin had only worn for a short while had almost become reduced to ashes. If it had been anyone else, they would have turned into ashes along with their combat uniforms, but Austin was different. His cells had evolved to resist fire, and he had the indestructibility of a Water Spirit Worm. A three to four thousand degrees Celsius fire could not burn Austin. ¡°Ding! The host is in a sea of fire. Cell evolution. Fire resistance upgraded. Fire resistance is now level 3!¡± Austin heard the system notification. He had no time to celebrate, though. He planned to use his fire control ability to strip away all the flames from the remains of the magic core power plant and throw them into the sky. ¡°Phew¡­ Let¡¯s begin!¡± Austin exhaled a hot breath, and his face became serious. The bright flames illuminated his distinct facial features and even started to dazzle. He opened his arms with his palms facing upward. He closed his eyes and unleashed his fire control ability. With the scale of the fire at the power plant, it was challenging for Austin¡¯s Lv2 fire control ability. Other than his fire control ability, Austin also utilized his Lv3 ability to control air and wind. Using the air control ability, he drew out the oxygen in the vicinity to prevent the fire from expanding and spreading. As he controlled the wind, Austin¡¯s body floated up into the air. Austin was like a phoenix reborn from the flames. His perfect body seemed polished from the sea of fire. ¡°Ding! The host is in a sea of fire. Cell evolution. Body strengthened!¡± ¡°Ding! The host is in a sea of fire. Cell evolution. Body strengthened!¡± ¡°Ding! The host is in a sea of fire. Cell evolution. Fire resistance upgraded. Fire resistance ability is now level 3! ¡°Rise!¡± Austin opened his eyes and raised his arms. His hair fluttered in the fire. His eyes lit up like blazing flames. He was like a phoenix merging with the inferno. All at once, every speck of fire on the scene reflected in Austin¡¯s mind. Austin felt that he could control all the flames. Right then, the burning sea of fire spiraled up into the sky as it left the magic core power plant. Outside the power plant, the fire department arrived at the scene. Fire engines were ejecting balls of water magic towards the power plant. Splash! Slosh! Sizzle! One by one, the water balls rushed into the raging fire and turned into white steam. The terrifying temperature of three to four thousand degrees Celsius prevented the firefighters from entering the power plant. They could only attempt to suppress the fire from outside. ¡°This won¡¯t do. The fire is too fierce, and we cannot suppress it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m out of ideas. The magic power of the truck is running low.¡± ¡°The storage of the trucks is limited. It¡¯s pointless even if we combine everything we have.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go! The fire is getting more intense, and it¡¯s shooting up the sky.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid only a tier-four magister would be able to use a magic barrier to cover the entire power plant.¡± ¡°Dear God, please don¡¯t explode, please don¡¯t explode¡­¡± Faced with such a fire, the firefighters felt helpless. If the fire continued to spread and burn other fire scale storehouses, the consequences would be unthinkable. By then, a series of explosions would ensue. The terrifying power would sweep through the entire southern district of Faye City and affect tens of thousands of lives, causing unimaginable property damage. They could only pray for a miracle to happen. ¡­ A miracle happened! One firefighter turned around in a daze. Soon, every firefighter looked over. They looked at the scene before them in shock. The unstoppable flames left the power plant and flew into the sky at high speed. The remaining ruins of the power plant did not have any flames or ashes left, cleaner than what the fire engines extinguished. ¡°Miracle This is a miracle¡­!¡± ¡°Hello? Sir! Here is the front line!¡± ¡°Yes. For some unknown reason, the fire left the power plant and flew up into the sky.¡± ¡°Yes, from the looks of it, the threat of the fire has been resolved!¡± A firefighter was on the phone reporting to his superior. He was crying tears of joy. They thought it was a miracle. Little did they know that one person created this miracle! Austin stood in the middle of the sea of fire as the flames flew into the sky. Chapter 39 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Austin had separated the sea of fire from the magic core power plant, but that did not mean that the fire had disappeared. Looking at the raging flames, it would take a long time for them to finish burning alone. ¡°My fire-controlling ability has already reached level 3. It¡¯s time to try something new. ¡°Like¡­ compress these flames to the limit.¡± Austin¡¯s eyes flickered. He was a man of action. He would act on it as soon as he thought of something complete as quickly as possible. There were four tier-four magisters in the city. They were respectively stationed at the east, west, south, and north of the city. Under normal circumstances, they would not leave the city defense unless it was an emergency. However, the massive fire at the magic core power plant was enough to mobilize them. Austin intended to dispose of the fire that affected the entire industrial facility before the tier-four magisters arrived. ¡°I¡¯ll keep on compressing this sea of fire!¡± Austin crossed his hands and used his fire control ability to gather the surrounding flames into his palms. The massive sea of fire rapidly collapsed inward like a receding tide. ¡°Not enough, not enough!¡± Austin¡¯s eyes widened as he pressed his palms. Flames rolled in from all directions, gathering between Austin¡¯s hands. Under Austin¡¯s compression, the sea of fire that was bigger than a football field had shrunk to the size of a basketball. At first glance, it looked like a pocket version of an artificial sun! ¡°Compress some more!¡± Austin grabbed the artificial sun-like fireball with both hands and pressed his palms together again, continuously compressing the size of the fireball. The flamboyant flames calmed down under extreme compression. The fireball continued to shrink. The color changed from orange to yellow, then white, and then blue. Finally, it was reduced to the size of a ping pong ball. The color had also turned blueish white. It was as calm as a crystal, without the slightest bit of the blazing heat and wildness of flames. Still, anyone could imagine what kind of terrifying power could erupt from this blue ping pong ball. ¡°Not enough! To the limit!¡± Austin gritted his teeth and continued to compress. The veins on his arms bulged out. Under the constant pressure, his fire control and fire resistance ability managed to increase to level 4! Fire Control Level 4! Instantly, Austin felt that he obtained a microscopic level of control. Even though it was just a momentary illusion, Austin was already one step closer to microscopic control. Using the Lv4 fire control ability, he finally compressed the fire further and turned it into a blueish-purple crystal. A fiery pearl the size of a thumb! No one knew the level of damage such a pearl could cause once it exploded. ¡°Who would¡¯ve imagined that I got another trump card after a freak combination of factors.¡± ¡°This pearl shall be called the Extreme Mini Sun.¡± Austin put away the Extreme Mini Sun in satisfaction. Suddenly, Austin looked towards the south. ¡°The tier-four magister of the southern city district is here.¡± Austin¡¯s eyes flashed, and he immediately flew toward his home. His combat uniform had burnt to ashes, so he could only go home and change to a new set of clothes. He could not possibly go to the hotel in this state. Not long after Austin left, a middle-aged man wearing a green cloak appeared in the sky above the power plant. ¡°Hmm? That person left quite quickly. Could he be an unknown tier-four magister who lived in seclusion in the city? ¡°He¡¯s quite good at restraining his aura. I didn¡¯t even catch the direction he went.¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s eyes flashed as he muttered to himself. Little did this tier-four magister of the southern district know that Austin did not enter the magister realm and was only an ¡°ordinary person¡±. What powerful aura could he have? The Liboli Hotel. Top-floor restaurant. It was past seven o¡¯clock, and Austin had not shown up. ¡°Austin, you despicable man! You didn¡¯t even pick up the magick communicator or reply to my messages. How dare you stand me up!¡± Hika tugged at her handkerchief angrily. Since when had she ever waited for anyone? Everyone else had always waited for her! It was rare for her to take the initiative to ask someone else out, but she got stood up. How could Hika not be angry? An effeminate rich second-generation heir with dark circles under his eyes stepped forward to strike up a conversation with Hika. ¡°Miss Hika, it seems your companion has failed to arrive. ¡°In that case, may I have the honor of inviting you to have dinner together?¡± ¡°Get lost!¡± Hika, who was in a bad mood, shouted at the playboy mercilessly. The other rich kids who wanted to approach her froze and rubbed their noses, not daring to step forward. Right now, they only had one thought in mind. They were curious who would dare to make the iceberg beauty wait for so long. After a while, the entrance to the penthouse restaurant welcomed a tall man with tousled hair and a white suit. He tidied up his hair as he walked, but he got stopped by a waiter at the entrance. The waiter looked at the man wearing a suit that seemed rather cheap and said expressionlessly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir. This is the VIP dining room of Liboli. You can¡¯t enter.¡± He changed into the suit he bought to attend his sister¡¯s graduation ceremony and rushed over. Austin did run here, but this time he controlled the run to the point that he would not tear his shoes or clothes. Austin peered into the dining room. ¡°I have an appointment with Miss Hika.¡± ¡°Miss Hika? Miss Hika asked you here?¡± The waiter froze, eyeing Austin suspiciously. Austin was very handsome and belonged to the sunny type. On top of that, Austin had a majestic and manly figure. However, Austin looked different from fitness trainers. He was more like a mountain, steady and imposing. So this is Miss Hika¡¯s type? The waiter was intrigued. He had to admit that Austin was charming. So what? He¡¯s still a poor man. The waiter thought jealously. He had been working in high-end places for a long time, which somehow made him feel superior. The funny thing was, he looked down on others but forgot that he was just a worker. Chapter 40 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Austin?¡± Magisters had sharp ears. Hika was delighted to hear the conversation at the entrance. Then, with a straight face, Hika snorted and muttered, ¡°How dare he¡¯s late for so long? I¡¯ll teach him a lesson!¡± Hika stormed toward the restaurant entrance. Austin¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw Hika in her evening gown adorned with a diamond necklace around her fair neck. He immediately waved and said, ¡°Hika, I¡¯m here.¡± The waiter who stopped Austin was shocked. He did not expect that Austin was really looking for Hika. The man who had a date with Hika was this man in a cheap white suit. ¡°Austin!¡± Hika stormed over. She wanted to reprimand him, but she couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter when she saw that Austin¡¯s white suit was too tight for his well-built body. ¡°Where did you get such an ill-fitting suit?¡± Austin laughed out loud and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°That¡¯s the only suit at home,¡± he said. ¡°I wore it to my sister¡¯s graduation ceremony. ¡°So it¡¯s a little small now.¡± ¡°If you move a little more, your suit will rip out.¡± After Hika laughed, most of the anger dissipated. She glared at the waiter coldly and said, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± The waiter came back to his senses and gave way immediately. Austin smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. He¡¯s just a waiter. Why would I bother with a waitress?¡± The waiter, who had looked down on Austin, felt his mind explode. His face turned ashen as he was deeply affected. Indeed. What gave him the right to look down on others? He was only a waiter, after all. Even if he worked in a high-end restaurant, he was still a waiter. He had not become a celebrity, nor was he superior to others. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Hika took Austin¡¯s arm naturally and walked together into the fancy restaurant. The rich heirs who were rejected by Hika before were even more stunned. Their eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets. The iceberg beauty who had never come close to any man was holding onto this man¡¯s arm. What happened tonight would definitely make the headlines of the news in Faye City the next day! ¡°Who is this kid? Why haven¡¯t I heard of him before?¡± ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s the son of an important figure from another base city?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. From the way he¡¯s dressed, he looks a little shabby. He doesn¡¯t look to have a noble background.¡± These elites had something to do again. They were bored and began to guess Austin¡¯s identity. What was Austin¡¯s relationship with the iceberg beauty, Hika? ¡°He¡¯s muscular. So it turns out Hika likes men like him.¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk. If I¡¯d known Hika liked guys like that, I would have gone to the gym.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see first. Why do I have a feeling that Hika is throwing herself at him?¡± The rich second-generation heirs who got rejected by Hika before were jealous. Hika took Austin to the table by the window and sat down. The waiter brought the gold-plated leather menu and handed it to Hika. He opened the first page of the leather menu. Every word of the menu was engraved with silver wire, flaunting its extravagance. Hika ordered a few dishes and handed the menu to Austin. Austin glanced at the menu. The text was not in the country¡¯s language but the universal language of the world. It was incomprehensible to Austin. After the apocalypse, commoners no longer learn the universal language since it was too fancy and impractical. ¡°The same as Hika, please.¡± Austin handed the menu back to the waiter. ¡°Alright, please wait a moment. The chef is preparing at the moment.¡± The waiter turned around and left. Austin turned his head toward the windows reflecting the busy light and shadows, and beyond the glass, the dark ruins in the distance. ¡°So this is the scenic restaurant that LiBoli is famed for?¡± With the hotel¡¯s height, the view of the hunting area was breathtaking. Hika took a small sip of her orange juice. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± she asked. Austin just shook his head. ¡°Behind the vermilion gates, meat and wine go to waste. While out on the road lie the bones of the frozen. ¡°The sense of horror and danger in the apocalypse has faded among the descendants of the rich.¡± ¡°They stay in their cages like canaries, enjoying the view outside.¡± Just then, laughter rang off from nearby. Two rich young ladies were using the binoculars provided by the restaurant on the top floor to look at the ruins outside the city wall of Faye City. ¡°Look, that is a real vicious beast.¡± ¡°What kind of beast is that big dog? It looks so ugly. Is it eating something?¡± ¡°Why isn¡¯t anyone hunting them? I want to see some magisters in action.¡± The two rich young ladies exclaimed. They gathered in front of the binoculars and made a fuss. A rich young man approached the two young ladies and said scornfully, ¡°It¡¯s just a corrosive hound. I can crush it with one hand.¡± ¡°I wonder what those useless magisters are doing in the hunting area. They can¡¯t even finish all these weak beasts.¡± Austin shot to his feet. Hika was slightly surprised and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Austin shook his head and said coldly, ¡°This is not the world that I want to protect.¡± With that, Austin strode toward the blabbering rich kid. Slap! Austin slapped him without saying anything. The crisp sound of the slap echoed throughout the restaurant. The elites, who were having dinner and conversing gracefully, were all stunned. The rich heir covered his swollen face and looked at Austin in disbelief. Immediately, his eyes burned with anger. ¡°How dare you¡­!¡± Slap! Another slap landed on his other cheek. The force of the slap was so strong that the second-generation heir¡¯s head buzzed, and blood oozed from the corner of his mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t you forget the reason why we are living in a peaceful and prosperous era. Countless pioneers, countless magisters had thrown their heads and spilled their blood. They worked hard and used their blood and bones to build what we have today. ¡°Without the magisters fighting with their lives outside, you are nothing. You might already become the feces of a corrosive hound by now!¡± After Austin said that, he turned around and left the restaurant. Chapter 41 The heir was stunned and did not turn around. The surrounding elites looked at Austin¡¯s back in shock. Of course, because of Hika, no one was willing to stand up for this heir. Not mentioning the Faye City Chamber of Commerce behind Hika, just being a tier-three magister was enough to hinder anyone from offending her. ¡°Idiot!¡± Hika cursed the rich second-generation heir angrily as she picked up her small bag and chased after Austin. The elites of Faye City were dumbfounded again. At first, they did not believe that it was Hika who was chasing Austin. Now it seemed that the possibility was very high. Outside the magnificent Liboli Hotel, Hika caught up to Austin in high heels and grabbed his hand. ¡°How can you just leave like that? You¡¯re too hot-tempered.¡± Austin turned around and said, ¡°Hot-tempered? If not for the fact that Faye City is under lockdown at night and there¡¯s no way to enter or leave, I would have thrown him into the hunting area outside the city.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he so awesome that he can crush a corrosive hound with one hand? I¡¯ll make sure he tries that.¡± Hika said, ¡°Alright, you should relax a little. Many people in that circle are like this. They are arrogant and think that they are great just because of their wealth.¡± ¡°Little did they know that this money is worthless in this chaotic world.¡± Austin smiled, not as domineering as before. ¡°The top floor restaurant in Liboli is too high-class. I¡¯m not used to it as a brute.¡± ¡°Come on. I know a decent food stall. I¡¯ll bring you to eat there as a form of apology for being late tonight.¡± ¡°Your treat?¡± Hika asked with a faint smile. Austin nodded and said, ¡°Well, fine. This meal is on me!¡± After flagging down a magick taxi, Austin led Hika to the East District. A food stall along an ordinary street was Austin¡¯s destination. There were tables and chairs next to a small door outside, and it was almost full of people. After Austin got out of the car, he grabbed Hika¡¯s hand and walked over. ¡°Sister Yun.¡± ¡°Hey, Austin. Hurry up and sit down.¡± A plump woman in an apron answered enthusiastically. ¡°Are there any more seats?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I have reserved a spot for you. ¡°Eh, is this your girlfriend? She¡¯s so beautiful.¡± The plump woman was truly amazed by Hika¡¯s look at first sight. Hika blushed and was about to explain herself. Realizing that Austin did not respond, she snorted and somehow remained silent as well. ¡°Come and sit down. I didn¡¯t expect you to finally understand and even find such a nice girl. You¡¯re so blessed.¡± The plump lady led Austin and Hika to an empty table and sat down. ¡°What do you want to eat tonight? I¡¯ll give you a 20% discount for such a pretty girlfriend!¡± Austin pulled out some tissue from the tissue box and wiped the table. ¡°Do you avoid certain food?¡± he asked Hika. Hika shook her head. ¡°Have you forgotten that I¡¯m a magister too? I often hunt ferocious beasts and go through life and death situations. I¡¯m not picky about meat or other things. Why would I avoid any food?¡± Austin said to the fat woman, ¡°Then we¡¯ll have beef and mutton, stir-fried pig intestines, garlic armor, roasted skewers. Please cook more Sister Yun as we can finish them.¡± After his cells evolved, Austin had a huge appetite. As for a magister, their energy requirements were not small either, so their appetite was naturally larger than ordinary people. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get it ready.¡± Sister Yun immediately entered the shop to prepare the dishes. There was some cooked food that was prepared during the day. After cutting and putting it on a plate, it would be served on the table. There were also side dishes like boiled peanuts and boiled beans that were provided free of charge. Customers could chat and eat while waiting for their orders. ¡°How is it? It tastes alright, right?¡± ¡°How¡¯s this compared to the food in the top floor restaurant of that Liboli or whatever?¡± Austin asked with a smile as he watched Hika eat the beef jerky with relish. Hika rolled her eyes at Austin, picked up a piece of fat and juicy beef, and popped it in her mouth. ¡°Of course it¡¯s delicious. It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t eaten at a food stall before.¡± Not only did the food taste good, but the atmosphere was also good. Children ran around the table to play. The adults laughed around in their conversation. There was also a girl playing the guitar who accepted ordered songs before singing. There was a happy, harmonious, and equal aura here. There was no pretentiousness, no mutual deception, and no class order. There was only the ordinary, love, food, and simplicity. There was an old magick transmitter at the food stall. Magick transmitters were divided into many types, and they could be labeled as televisions, radios, and other items. It was playing a segment of the evening news. A reporter stood in front of the mostly burnt magic core power plant in the broadcast of the scene. ¡°Hello everyone. This is the Faye City News, and it¡¯s eight in the evening. I¡¯m Reporter Lan, reporting to you at the magic core power plant. ¡°Just an hour ago, I believe everyone heard the explosion from the southern city area. ¡°It was confirmed that there was an explosion at the Fire Scale Magic Core Power Plant in the South District, causing a huge fire.¡± The voice from the magic transmitter attracted the attention of the customers at the food stall. Their eyes focused on the magick transmitter. ¡°An explosion occurred in the Fire Scale Magic Core Power Plant?¡± Hika frowned. ¡°If it was really the explosion at the Fire Scale Magic Core Power Plant, the fire would be massive.¡± Austin nodded. ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s scary.¡± The female reporter on the magick transmitter continued, ¡°The Faye City Fire Department arrived as soon as possible and began putting out the fire. However, the fire was too big to put out.¡± ¡°Right when everyone was at their wits¡¯ end, a miracle occurred.¡± The beautiful reporter stopped for a moment. The audience in front of the magick transmitter was scratching their heads, wanting to know what had happened. ¡°Hurry up and finish reporting!¡± ¡°Eh, what¡¯s the point of selling it at the critical moment?¡± ¡°This girl is quite pleasant-looking, but she¡¯s wishy-washy.¡± The news footage zoomed in on a fireman. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get a firefighter present to describe the scene when the miracle occurred.¡± The pretty reporter handed the microphone to the fireman. The fireman received the microphone. His face was dark and rough, but his eyes were clear. As he recalled the scene, excitement and admiration surfaced on his face again. ¡°To be honest, we don¡¯t know what exactly happened at the time. ¡°We only saw the intense flames surrounding the magic core power plant flying into the sky as if they have a mind of their own.¡±