Chapter 25 : The Death of the Fire Mage

Moonlight Elixir?

Li Wen frowned.

She had heard of it before.

Even among magical potions, the Moonlight Elixir was exceptionally rare—practically priceless on the black market.

More importantly, it was a potion officially banned by the Arthurian authorities.

And the reason for its ban was almost laughable. It wasn’t due to addiction or dangerous side effects.

Rather, it was because the Moonlight Elixir originated from the Deep Shadow branch of magic, and only the cultists of the Moon faction knew how to make it.

“So you’ve heard of it too…” the fire mage continued.

“Yes, it’s powerful and captivating.”

“When I used Mind Read on those mercenaries and discovered its presence in their memories… hah, they had no idea how valuable that little vial of deep green liquid was.”

“So I decided to keep it safe for them.”

Killing off an entire convoy just for a rare potion—sounded much more believable now.

“But you’re a mage from the Secret Institute. What are you doing in Black Dragon Territory?”

Li Wen asked.

“…That has nothing to do with you,” the fire mage answered after a moment of silence.

“But it has everything to do with you.”

A pointy-eared elf and a mage of the Secret Institute showing up at the kingdom’s outermost frontier?

Hard to believe he was just here for a vacation.

From what Li Wen knew, long-lived mages either buried themselves in magical research, alchemy, or other obscure fields of study.

Their endless lifespans left them with few pleasures, so dry academic work often became their only pursuit.

“It’s complicated… To put it simply, I’m a half-blood elf.”

Li Wen’s eyes flickered.

Half-blood elves—or sub-species elves—were distinctly different from pure-blooded ones.

By tradition, all elves were born of the World Tree.

But half-bloods were different.

They were usually the offspring of silver elves and another species.

This impure bloodline often led to strange talents or traits among their descendants.

Half-bloods were hard to identify by appearance—it all depended on who their non-elven parent was.

And since silver elves were notoriously open-minded about intimacy, some half-bloods ended up with appearances that were… less than pleasing.

But one thing was certain—pure-blooded elves never considered them equals.

At least not in Arthur, where high elves ruled.

Half-bloods lived in the cracks of that world.

Discrimination didn’t always come in insults or actions.

Especially in a scholarly place like the Secret Institute, where magic reigned supreme.

Half-bloods were allowed to study, under the pretense of equal opportunity.

“But they’d never allow us to surpass them in magical research.”

“Not because they think we’re unworthy—well, maybe that too—but because they don’t believe a half-blood could ever achieve such things.”

“They claimed I cheated, or used some forbidden sorcery.”

“Hah! Those book-hugging pointy-ears wouldn’t understand.”

“For someone like me, with fire affinity, hybrid casting of basic elemental spells is child’s play!”

Fire affinity?

That explained his rapid casting speed.

Could one of his ancestors have been an elemental being?

“So you fled here?”

“No, that was just the beginning.”

“They later accused me of stealing one of their sacred relics.”

“They even tried to use Brain Invasion magic on me.”

“I was fleeing when I accidentally triggered a teleportation array… and ended up here.”

“I didn’t even know this was Black Dragon Territory until I ran into those mercenaries.”

“By the Light, this place is so far from the capital…”

Logically, that tracked.

The Secret Institute’s teleport arrays could cover much of the kingdom.

But something didn’t sit right.

Brain Invasion magic had long been banned by the Magic Council.

It was more brutal than Mind Read, and often caused irreversible brain damage.

Yet high-level magic offered better, safer alternatives—though they required power.

And the Secret Institute didn’t lack powerful mages.

In short, he was lying.

Or at the very least, leaving something out.

If he really had stolen a sacred relic, how had he evaded the Institute’s pursuit?

Li Wen searched her memory for rumors of such relics, but found nothing that matched.

She hadn’t paid much attention to early-game lore unless the strategy guides had covered it.

Whatever.

What did it matter to her?

Li Wen drew her Bone-Eating Poison Sword, making it clear she intended to finish him off.

The fire mage panicked.

He didn’t understand—after all he’d said, why was she still going to kill him?

“No! You can’t kill me! I still have value!”

“I can tell you things… No! I’m sorry—I lied!”

“I did steal from the Institute, but it should’ve belonged to me!”

“I can give it to you! Just spare my life!”

“You should’ve said that from the start.”

Li Wen shook her head.

Honestly, she found it hard to trust a liar like him.

Turning him into XP seemed safer.

But before she could move, the fire mage’s eyes flew open.

Terror twisted his face.

“No! Don’t kill me! Please!”

He screamed, clutching his chest.

Alarmed that he might trigger a self-destruct spell, Li Wen retreated.

But nothing happened.

When she cautiously approached, she found he was already dead.

His body was frozen in place, eyes bulging as if about to fall out.

His face was locked in a mask of fear.

Li Wen was certain he hadn’t died from her curse.

The Dark Speech Curse only lasted around twenty seconds at her level—and that time had long passed.

So what killed him?

Could it have been Taketori’s poisoned bolt?

But Li Wen had bought that poison herself—she knew exactly how and when it worked.

Unless that black market vendor had sold her a fake…

She couldn’t figure it out.

Still, she noticed her XP had increased by 200 points.

Clearly, the fire mage’s death was credited to her.

Whether it was the curse or something else, World Tree: Origin’s XP system had given her a share.

Too bad Taketori wasn’t here.

She was the only one who had dealt actual damage.

She should’ve earned some XP too.

But Amber City was far too deep underground.

Taketori probably wouldn’t get anything at all.