Chapter 309: Encounter
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 309: Encounter
"No, I need to stay calm."
"The situation isn't that bad yet. With that unfathomable Funny Bear around, nothing could have happened to Liya that easily."
After her initial cry of despair, Ariel quickly pulled herself together. Her gaze, sharp as a hawk’s, began to sweep over the wreckage of the scene.
"Shifu, can you sense anything?"
"The mana here is too chaotic; my perception can't spread very far. However, there isn't a single corpse. No one should have died here."
Ariel looked toward a pile of mangled flesh mixed with carriage wreckage at the edge of the clearing.
"...That’s a dragon-blood horse."
"That’s good, then."
Ariel breathed a sigh of relief and looked away.
The absence of bodies meant there was still a great deal of hope that they were alive. In any case, she needed to see them in the flesh—or their corpses. Until she actually found Liya, she would never give up.
"I'll search for clues first."
Ariel stepped cautiously into the clearing, which looked as though it had been plowed by a storm, and began to observe carefully.
The surroundings were a mess. Shattered trees and gravel were strewn everywhere, and the ground was riddled with massive cracks and craters, looking as if two terrifying magical beasts had engaged in a death match here.
But no matter how chaotic it looked, there were bound to be traces left behind.
"This is..."
Ariel’s eyes narrowed as she spotted something, a hint of excitement appearing on her face.
Sure enough, on the soft soil just ahead of her, several footprints were scattered haphazardly. In the midst of these footprints, there were several clear wheel ruts extending straight into the distance.
"A dragon-blood carriage! Someone left this place in a dragon-blood carriage!"
Ariel felt a surge of excitement. "It’s very likely the Pink Bear and the others. That means Liya is still alive!"
Although the specific situation remained unclear—and she didn't know why she was the only one left behind—her next course of action was simple.
Follow these ruts and find the main group!
"If I remember correctly, this direction leads toward the border, which is where we were headed."
No sooner said than done!
Ignoring the exhaustion from a full night of combat, Ariel summoned another burst of energy, preparing to sprint forward.
But before she could take a step, she suddenly froze.
The excitement on Ariel’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a dark, solemn expression.
"Who is it?"
Ariel turned her head and said in a low voice, "Come out."
"Oh?"
A strange, puzzled voice drifted toward her.
"A Third-Tier brat actually managed to discover me?"
In the relatively intact woods nearby, a faint mist had drifted in at some point. As a breeze made the leaves rustle, the mist suddenly swirled together, outlining a shapely figure not far away.
It was a woman wearing a tailored mage robe that exposed her pale cleavage and long legs. Her wavy hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her face was heavily made up, yet an unnatural paleness still showed through.
She gradually materialized from the mist. Beneath her purple eyeshadow, her lazy eyes scanned Ariel with indifference as she laughed playfully.
"Since I couldn't participate in the subsequent hunt, I thought I'd sneak back to see if I could vent some frustration with a sneak attack. I didn't expect to run into such a stroke of luck. Flat-chested brat, you're with that Duke's son, aren't you? I saw you in the intelligence reports."
Flat-chested...
"Who are you?" Ariel’s eye twitched as she demanded sharply, "What happened to the others? What is your goal?"
"Oh my, you really don't know anything? Were you left behind? How pitiful."
The woman casually waved the magic wand in her hand and chuckled. "Why don't you come with big sister? I can teach you magic to enlarge your chest."
"Magic to enlarge my chest? Sure, sounds great, I was just thinking—to hell with your magic!"
Ariel suddenly turned into an afterimage, pouncing toward the woman like a leopard.
"If that kind of magic existed, I would have used it long ago! Why would I need you to teach me?"
Ariel gripped her flaming greatsword with both hands, trailing a long tail of fire. Her body twisted in mid-air, gathering all her strength before she swung down violently!
Boom!
The earth suddenly split open as a scorching red wave smashed toward the woman like a meteor.
The woman’s eyes reflected the growing blaze, but her expression didn't change in the slightest.
Because the greatsword, the fire, and the red wave all stopped in an instant.
They stopped before a pale gold barrier.
"Careful, Ariel!"
Shifu’s anxious voice rang in Ariel’s ear. "This is a Radiant-Tier Grand Magister!"
"Wha—"
Ariel’s pupils dilated in shock. She let out a cry and retreated instantly, putting a cautious distance between them.
Damn it, Radiant-Tier!
Where did she come from?
Unlike the rough First and Second Tiers of martial artists, magic—often called a "noble's game"—had much more detailed and refined rankings.
Mercury, Gold, Secret Rite, Sublimation, Radiant, and finally, the Truth-Tier that corresponded to the Crown Bearers.
The six tiers were arranged in order. Although the advancement of magic didn't involve an evolution of life essence like a martial artist reaching the Crowned boundary, every step up the ladder meant deeper magical knowledge and more precise control over mana.
Currently, although Ariel had recently successfully promoted to a Third-Tier martial artist, her magic level was stuck right at the edge of the Secret Rite Tier.
In other words, there was a gap of more than two entire major realms between her and the enemy before her!
With such a disparity, the old saying that a martial artist could slaughter a mage as long as they got close didn't apply. This woman could slap a few buffs on herself and beat a low-tier martial artist to death with her wand.
"Can I take her?" Ariel asked in her mind, cold sweat trickling down her forehead. "She looks like she might be injured."
"As long as her brain isn't injured... probably not."
"Fine, I get it."
Ariel took a deep breath, her expression turning resolute once more.
"Oh? It seems you've realized the difference between us."
The woman wore a strange expression, tilting her head in confusion. "But that look in your eyes... what does it mean?"
"It means... I'm going to kill you!"
With a sharp cry, Ariel charged at the woman again, refusing to back down.
The greatsword swung, and the scorching flames were condensed by the wind of the blade into a terrifying tornado that pressed down with immense force!
The flames spread out as if doomsday had arrived.
But the woman... only gave a contemptuous smile.
"Hmph, overestimating yourself."
A soft glow emanated from her magic wand, which was only slightly shorter than her body. The pale gold light in front of her solidified slightly. Without even needing a chant, the roaring fire tornado was unable to cross even an inch further.
"What, is that it?"
Looking at the flames that still desperately tried to swallow her, the woman mocked, "Brat, your attack is as weak and pathetic as your chest."
"..."
There was no answer.
"Hmm?"
The woman frowned.
She could endure that?
A strange premonition suddenly flashed through her mind. The woman’s eyes narrowed, and she waved her magic wand. A rampaging gale was summoned by an invisible force, tearing through the flames in front of her.
But the brat was nowhere to be seen.
The woman snapped her head around, only to see a figure at the distant edge of the woods, fleeing as fast as a rabbit.