You call this magic?

"Why do I have such a bad feeling?"

PS:ka le

Volume 3: The Burial of Fulilian (Part 2): Chapter 23: Why are they Imperials again?

Ethan had thought that in a village with a dragon nearby, not only would all the civilians be evacuated, but there should at least be a fully armed force guarding it. However, the current situation was exactly the opposite of what he imagined. It was so peaceful here that it seemed as if there were no monsters nearby at all.

Although it does not look rich, it has all kinds of shops and public facilities. It is small but complete. Even the faces of these villagers do not show any signs of panic.

Even towards outsiders like Ethan, they did not avoid him and were even quite enthusiastic.

Unfortunately, there is no Adventurer's Guild in this village, so he has no way to find out relevant information through more convenient means.

Since the villagers were so enthusiastic, he would not refuse.

The only tavern in the village had many drunkards sitting inside in broad daylight, but it looked like they were just there to have a drink after work.

"Are you asking about the Red Mirror Dragon?" the young bartender said calmly, "Yes, it should have built a nest in the canyon and will probably stay there forever."

The Red Mirror Dragon isn't a particularly strong type of dragon, but it's also a giant dragon. Once it chooses a location to build its nest, it will stay there. Dragons have a habit of hiding shiny objects or magical items in their nests. So in this world where even children on the street can cast simple folk magic, places where people gather are easily attacked by dragons.

"So, why not run away?"

"There's no need to run away." The bartender smiled slightly. "After all, Lord Shutark is in this village."

"Interesting." Ethan drank the wine in his glass in one gulp, left the change and left the tavern.

He did not ask for information about Shutark, nor did he say anything more to the bartender.

"..." The bartender quietly watched Ethan's back as he left and tapped the table lightly.

None of the drinkers present noticed his inconspicuous action.

Ethan whistled softly after leaving the tavern.

"No wonder the dragons don't dare to approach. This small village is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers."

Although the bartender had concealed his presence very well, no one, including the customers, noticed his calm and somewhat scary aura, especially when he mentioned the dragon. Ethan's intuition told him that the bartender didn't seem to take the dragon seriously at all.

The last time Ethan felt this way was with Levi. After so many years, is that guy finally planning to attack the Central Countries again?

Ethan's way of traveling was [Teleportation]. It was impossible for the Imperials to master this magic. In other words, these guys should have been lurking here for a long time, but... for what?

To repair Tark? It's possible.

Of course he knew the name Shutark. Although a long time had passed, he had not forgotten what Ai Ran had said. He was the only apprentice of the world's strongest warrior.

However, he suddenly thought that the adventurers hired by Fulilian actually leaked the information about the magic book under the noses of the imperial people?

So, did this group of people let it go on purpose, or did their target have nothing to do with the magic book?

Of course, there is also a worst-case scenario, which is that this is just a means to lure in Fulilian.

However, these are all irrelevant now, because Fulilian did not come at all. The only one who came was Ethan, who was proficient in both magic and martial arts. The killing techniques that the imperials were good at were basically ineffective against him.

Moreover, after so many years, his current strength... hehe.

The question now is whether that guy recognized his face. There is a high probability that he has recognized it.

After all, Ethan's face looked exactly the same as it did ten years ago.

It seems that since the body completely adapted to the erosion of magic, there has been no change.

Oh, now it can’t be called erosion, it should be called fusion.

If he cut off one of his hands and gave it to Fulilian now, it could even be used as research material, no kidding.

After walking out of the village, Ethan carefully sensed around and didn't notice any followers. This was a bit surprising. Could it be that he had misunderstood and these imperialists were not targeting him?

After this thought went through his mind, Ethan stopped thinking about it. After all, his target was the dragon and the magic book.

……

At another exit of the village, a blonde mercenary was galloping through the forest, heading for the canyon where the dragon existed. She had to pass the information to her companions guarding there.

According to Ethan's leisurely speed, she only needed to run fast enough to make arrangements in advance.

"Very good! You arrived at the scene in just five minutes this time. That's impressive, Shulit."

Above the canyon, in a hidden cave, a girl who was preparing a bonfire turned around, smiled and clapped her hands.

"Ha... Iris, stop making sarcastic remarks... Ha... Someone's coming." Shulit gasped heavily. "Where's the wine? Let me rinse my mouth!"

"Here." A bottle of wine was thrown out from the depths of the cave. Without even looking at it, Shulett caught it, unscrewed the cap, and poured it into her mouth. "Gulp, gulp... Ha, refreshing!"

The effect was remarkable after taking this sip, and she looked a lot calmer.

"It really works instantly..." Iris covered her mouth, her eyes narrowed into slits. She looked gentle, but the words she spoke were quite ruthless. "I feel like even if you were dead, I could bring your corpse back to life by giving it a sip of wine."

"...Good idea. I can try it if I have the chance in the future." Xiu Lite complained expressionlessly.

"Okay, Shulit, stop wasting time and tell me, which target is coming? Flillian?"

"It's Ethan," Shulett replied, then added, "Just him, no one else."

Suddenly, there was a sound of people gasping for air in the cave.

"You mean, the 'Ethan' that Boss Levi specifically marked?"

Xiu Lite nodded heavily.

"No, no, no, why is it him? Why isn't Fulilian here? Where are the others?" A face suddenly emerged from the depths of the cave. It was a young man with a gangster-like temperament. "Stop it, Shutark, I almost succeeded in persuading him, why did that guy come here at this time??"

No one answered, because this information gave everyone present a headache.

What if you bring even a stumbling block?

But no, Ethan just came alone in such a swagger, and being alone means having no weaknesses.

"Boss Levi said that guy won't be morally kidnapped..."

"So his target should be that magic book, right?"

"Can we just let him take the grimoire and leave? I don't want to fight someone that even Boss Levi can't beat."

"Do you want to escape?"

Silence again.

"In short, no matter what, deserting the battlefield is unacceptable. It's only been ten years, and he's cultivating both magic and warrior skills. It's impossible for him to reach the pinnacle of both at the same time. We just need to find the areas where he's weak."

Volume 3: The Death of Fulilian (Part 2): Chapter 24: Instant Killing Out of Sight

Ethan walked slowly into the canyon. The terrain was quite flat. Not to mention accommodating a dragon, even if the nearby village was moved here, the width could accommodate the entire village.

There is no obstruction in the sky, so it is very convenient for the Red Mirror Dragon to take off and land during flight. No wonder it chose this place.

More importantly, this is the border between the central and northern countries. If you walk along the canyon for another day or two, you will reach the border fortress. The barrier that covers the sky and the sun can also block attacks from half of the directions.

Ethan felt that if he were a dragon, he would also choose this place as the location for his lair after weighing the pros and cons.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and then a long dragon roar came from the other end of the canyon.

"Did you spot me?"

There was not only a threat in this growl, but more of a fear and warning.

Dragons are very smart monsters. They will not take the initiative to provoke an enemy they cannot defeat, but if peace talks fail, they will still fight to the death.

It is said to be smart, but from this perspective, the degree of intelligence is quite limited.

The red mirror dragon is now in the threatening stage with its fur standing on end before pouncing.

Unfortunately, today I’m here just for you.

"Who told you to be so blind as to collect the magic that my master wanted?"

Ethan raised his right hand, and the huge power of thunder and lightning gathered in his palm. The surrounding air was filled with the crackling sound brought by high-voltage thunder and lightning. After an instant, Ethan grasped the ball of thunder and lightning in his hand, forming a thunder and lightning spear.

The ancient dragon believes in the [Lightning Gun].

This method is more suitable for dealing with dragons.

The next second, the lightning gun was thrown out, and its initial flight speed was completely consistent with the impression given by lightning. Together with the electric arc exploding in the air, it crossed a distance of hundreds of meters in an instant and went straight through the dragon's eyebrows.

The dragon's scales were extremely hard, and ordinary warriors couldn't even leave a scratch on them, let alone ordinary penetrating magic. Ethan estimated that even his ordinary attack magic would find it difficult to penetrate the dragon's scales, and it would be very troublesome to chop them directly with a sword, so this method was more reasonable.

The penetrating power of lightning is naturally much higher than that of ordinary attack magic, and he is not aiming at the body, but the head. Coupled with his combat power, it is natural that the result is a one-hit kill.

Ethan breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly felt a little regretful.

Oh shit, I don’t even think I saw what this dragon looked like!

……

"……real or fake?"

At the entrance of the cave, the gangster young man stared in amazement at the giant dragon that was turning into dust.

Just now, he witnessed the entire process of a giant dragon being killed instantly by magic from out of sight.

"You and I have seen it all. What else is there to say, Gazella?" Shulett squatted beside the thug and patted his shoulder. "It seems that Ethan has chosen to go further in magic. This is a good thing."

"What is that, magic? Lightning magic? Why is there no record of it in the Empire?" Gazela's face was slightly pale, and he whispered in an understated voice.

"That's a good thing," said the female mercenary, Shulit, with a nonchalant expression. "Compared to formidable and powerful warriors, magicians are easier to kill."

"What you said is true, but can we really get close enough to kill that kind of magician with one blow?" Iris hugged her knees, as if none of this could affect her mood.

"Scared?"

"How can it be."

After saying that, the two women looked at the only male, Gazzela: "What about you?"

"If I say no, you will kill me now and use this as an excuse to run away, right?" Gazela said with dead eyes.

"You're right."

"..."

"Let's wait for Wolfe to come over from the tavern. He said he would bring me a bottle of wine."

Hearing the name, Gazzela finally smiled: "It's good to have him around."

The others also showed similar expressions. After all, with their abilities, killing a famous magician might be risky for three people, but with four people, no one had ever survived.

……

"Hmm...where are the people?"

Ethan had been walking on this road for half an hour, as leisurely as he could be.

He was indeed waiting for these people to attack, but no one came, which made him very upset.

Forget it. It feels like I won’t be able to wait any longer no matter how long I hang around on the road. I was also thinking about not damaging the magic book that Fulilian wanted, but now it seems that I have to get what she wants first.

Thinking of this, Ethan quickened his pace and advanced at the speed of an ordinary soldier. The rest of the journey was completed in just a few minutes.

The Red Mirror Dragon had long since disappeared, leaving nothing behind, and the items in its lair were all placed there properly, the most obvious of which was a magic book.

There is indeed a magical reaction on it, and it is the most obvious magical reaction in the nest.

After thinking about it, Ethan took off his backpack and stuffed the rest of the things into it. Anyway, Frillian liked to collect junk, and she would definitely be very happy if he brought some back to her.

Alas, it is becoming increasingly difficult to make Fulilian smile, even though she is so pretty.

After putting away his things, no one came near, so Ethan simply sat down on the spot, opened the magic book and started reading.

He just didn't believe it. It couldn't be that he really had to wait until he learned all the magic before the other party attacked, right?

However, once he started reading, he couldn't take his eyes off it.

Because as he gradually understood what was written there, he had an urge to "Fuck, I must learn this magic and make it out of print."

This magic is called [Magic of Seeing Through Clothes].

As the name suggests, those who understand will understand, and he can't say too much about those who don't understand.

I'm going to teach it how to speak right now!

However, at this moment, a silent black shadow appeared behind Ethan.

It was like a shadow that completely blended into the darkness. Not only did it not reveal any murderous intent, but it also did not leak out any breath. Ethan, immersed in magic, seemed to be completely unaware of the approaching danger.