Dark Magus Returns

Raze continued to follow the group through the lands. After descending the mountain, he thought that traversing the flat surface land would be easier, but it was clear that the others had taken their movement to another level. They were able to move even faster than before.

'I've only just become a Pagna warrior in this world. Do you expect me to keep up with all of you just like that?' Raze thought, as he huffed and panted. His current situation reminded him a lot of his training with Kron when he had first arrived.

Thankfully, the scenery around them had changed as well, and it wasn't all barren wastelands. There were fields with soil but with strange-colored plants, and even the forests had leaves present, although many of them were oddly shaped or mostly fallen on the ground, littering the forest floor to the point where one couldn't see the real floor underneath.

Eventually, a large city of lights appeared on the horizon, and Raze slowed his pace to take in the sight. They were on higher ground on a hilltop, allowing them to see the entire city in its glory.

The night sky was out, so the city was lit up with lanterns. They hung off buildings, lighting up the streets. The pagodas were covered with them, as were the larger buildings.

Unlike the town Raze was in, several of the buildings here had more than one floor. The rooftops were still slanted and curved out, like the town he had come from, and all of the buildings were colored in a similar dull grey with several areas of red. All the glowing lanterns were red as well, giving the entire city a bright hue.

"It's quite beautiful, isn't it?" Dame continued to look at the city with a small smile on his face. He had one leg up on a large rock as he stared out into the distance. "This is the city of Repton. It's at the center of the Demonic faction, so it's a busy place with a lot of trade. It even has the largest auction in the faction. For the time being, this will be quite a nice place for you to stay, don't you think?"

The group continued forward and entered the city with no problems. Raze was still twisting and turning his head, trying to take in everything he could see. Despite it being night, the streets were busy and full of people. The streets were a lot wider, and people were still eating outside.

Restaurants and inns were filled with people eating and drinking. As they continued to walk, Raze passed several market stalls as well.

These were better set up than the ones he had seen in the town. They weren't crooked and slanting. These stalls were straight with a roof on top, and nearly every stall even had a name plaque on the outside. Even the items they were presenting were displayed in a far better order.

"Alright, just let me know what you need to make ten of those potions that you made last time. I'll cover the material costs, and if there is anything else you want, as long as it's within reason, I'll get it for you as well," Dame said.

Raze already felt like it was the right thing to have come here. He didn't even have to pay for anything, and he could buy even more stuff than before. First, Raze bought several more bottles. Kirk was carrying around a large case on his back that was wrapped around his body with some rope.

Whatever Raze pointed at, the items would then be filled into the crate. Twenty bottles in total had been placed inside, ten for the order from Dame and ten for him to do what he wanted with.

As they continued looking around, Raze didn't stop there. He picked up a standard ring that had been requested to enhance his magic. It was fine because he had in mind what he wanted to make. He continued going from stall to stall, doing the little trick he had done before. He was looking for items that would react well to magic.

"If I can find something like that earring last time, then maybe I can get an item that's just as good as Simyon. I'll have to use my dark magic, and the item will either be cursed or sealed, but it will be worth it! And I've got plenty of crystals to try to make a higher-tier crystal with!"

Eventually, his little trick worked on one of the stalls. Of all things the magic had reacted to, it was a statue of a simple man in old farmer's clothes made out of stone.

"These items are a bit more difficult since they can't be worn on one's body, but they still have their uses," Raze thought.

"Are you sure you want this?" Dame asked, lifting the statue. It was so cheap, costing less than a single silver coin. "I can get you much better souvenirs if that's what you're looking for."

"It's okay; I just want this one," Raze replied.

Dame looked at the items that had been bought so far, and he felt they were extremely odd. He understood the bottles, but the ring and the statue? What use were these?

Stopping at another stall, Raze was surprised to see such things sold out in the open. They were Qi pills, the same type of pills that Kron had given him.

"Ah, these things will be useless for you. Since you're already a Stage 1 Pagna warrior, it won't do much if you were to eat it. It only has ten years of Qi inside. It's good for restoring part of your Qi, but in terms of increasing your Qi in your dantian, it wouldn't have any effect. You would at least need a pill that has 50 years of Qi."

It was good to learn about the different Qi pills and how they affected him now that he was already a warrior, but he never had the intention of eating the pill.

"I'll take one," Raze said.

With all the items bought, it was time for them to rest for the night. Dame entered a relatively small and quiet inn on the outskirts of the city. He was looking out for the Dark Magus since he didn't want him to be caught, especially by Alba, who visited the place rather frequently.

A room had been rented out for Raze, and although it was nicer than his room at the temple, it was still relatively small and barren of objects. But it had a bed, toilet, and facilities for cleaning oneself, so he couldn't really complain.

"Alright, I have to head back to my clan with the others. I'll be back tomorrow afternoon to collect the items, and I'll be giving you your reward for all of this. I promise you won't be disappointed," Dame said before leaving the room. n.-1n

Left on his own, Raze didn't plan to sleep just yet, with excitement coursing through his veins.

"Alright!" Raze said, heading to the crate that had been left behind. "It's time to enchant some items so I can get strong enough that not even the academy principal can stop me."