Mage Adam

"Excuse me? Peter? Peter Aum?"

Hailey nodded, "Yup! That's his name! The City of Molan is valuable to the antimages, so they sent in a qualified antimage to protect its resources!"

Shirley could sense the tone in Adam's voice and asked, "Do you know him?"

Adam simply nodded and replied, "I'll join the two of you, but would it just be the three of us?"

Hailey frowned, "It's good to have more people, since he is a qualified antimage... but my sister and I do not trust anybody here, and those people in 'headquarters' are too annoying! My sister and I are very powerful -- our magic is practically that of a qualified mage!"

"Your pendant," Shirley pointed. "That is a seal, right?"

Adam nodded and fiddled with his pendant.

"You're at the brink of promotion, but my sister and I are as strong as you."

The three of them continued to discuss the happenings of the island, and he knew why the four apprentices said that Adam had ruined headquarters' plans.

There were fifteen apprentice factions on Ceylon Island, each of which are divided into areas that are far away from each other. Hence, this gives apprentices a chance to scourge for information by pretending to be one of them. Since they were all facing the same enemy, it is good to share information amongst one another.

That's how the twins were able to know of Peter's situation.

However, Adam's actions have alerted the antimages.

"The real targets of this trial have never been the antimage apprentices," Hailey explained. "They are only worth little points after all -- stupid headquarters are just finding an excuse to swoop in and claim the credit."

"A bunch of self-righteous idiots!"

They bid Adam farewell, and Shirley reminded Adam, "The City of Molan is far from here. We need to leave early and arrive before dawn."

Adam sent the two away and sat on his bed, communing with the devil.

"Master..." the weak voice of the devil sounded. "I'm so hungry..."

Adam took out a few pieces of ether crystals and threw them to the devil -- the devil devoured them and gained some power back, but they were still unable to take a form.

Adam took out the monster's flesh and asked, "What is this?"

"This is the bastard that took control of me!" the devil growled. "It has always been in the depths of my consciousness, lurking within it!"

Adam guessed that this was something he cannot pry into, as this was a primordial thing inherited by the devil. It was sealed behind a protection spell, and the devil would be annihilated if Adam tried to investigate.

"That... thing wants to kill me and take control! Master, I almost lost you!" the devil cried out.

"Shut up," Adam replied. "Is it dead or alive?"

"It... it's still alive in me," the devil sobbed. "It will take any opportunity to take over me."

Adam smiled. This was a great opportunity for him to study a creature of the abyss -- a beast that was powerful, aggressive, and had great regenerative capabilities.

Peter Aum was rushing towards the City of Molan as fast as he could. Although he was entrusted with a heavy responsibility, he didn't feel happy at all. He had participated in a total of three trials, and nobody knew how he was still alive.

This time, he knew his fate was sealed. Ever since a large portion of his body was destroyed more than ten years ago, his power dwindled rapidly. Now, he was only 60% as strong as he was before.

"This is my only chance," Peter muttered to himself.

There were countless mortals living in the City of Molan, which means there would also be a huge amount of human despair waiting to be harvested. If he could swallow them all, he could restore himself to his former glory.

"If I can become a Level 3 Antimage during this period, I'll survive. Even if the family is cross with me, I will persevere," Peter affirmed himself, despite knowing there is little hope for him.

Peter descended upon the Mansion of the City of Molan, and the antimage apprentice who served as the City Lord hurried out to greet him, "Master Peter! The resource collection has been completed. You can evacuate at any time after a day, but the mortals in the city..."

"You collected all the Despair Crystals and Power Stones? Hand them over to me."

"Master Peter," the City Lord gulped. "This is against the family's rules. I am tasked to hand them over personally. You aren't allowed to touch these resources."

"I see."