Chapter 20: Master
How was this possible?!
Throughout the entire empire, those who reached the sixth professional rank were few and far between, and those above that were even rarer, cultivated by the empire with vast resources and top-tier training.
A super-genius like Lena, who had jumped a rank overnight and reached the sixth-rank mage at only sixteen years old, even the combined talents of the prodigies in the empire’s elite class couldn’t compare to such a heaven-defying aptitude.
The elite class was nothing.
Having witnessed Lena’s true strength, this was the only thought left in Angel’s mind…
Dazzling.
Lena’s spells were cast one after another, seamlessly flowing into the next, just as she had said, a “magic show” no less exciting than a fierce battle unfolded.
With the support of the demonic power, Lena’s magic didn’t deplete quickly. Instead, halfway through, the speed of her magic generation accelerated at a terrifying rate.
In an instant, magic power surged into her right arm.
Black mist enveloped the body bag, corroding the outer leather layer, revealing the charred yet still warm corpse.
Natural magic and necromancy didn’t conflict.
The former froze the body at the moment of death, while the latter performed the resurrection spell, granting the deceased the power to return, reversing the laws of life and death.
“Hoo—”
After completing the spell, Lena didn’t immediately dispel her half-human, half-demon form. She leaned against the wall silently, watching the boy, who should have been dead, rise from the ground, looking around in confusion.
“You’re awake.”
Angel approached him, her tone friendly.
Although the price she had paid was heavy, saving a life was a virtuous act, and she would never refuse to help others.
The boy was momentarily stunned, then seemed to realize something, shouting, “Devil! The devil’s plaything! Stay away from me!!!”
He screamed, pushing Angel to the ground, then desperately trying to escape.
The instinct to survive overwhelmed the fear of death. He never wanted to experience being burned alive again…
Angel stared blankly at his retreating figure.
Lena remained indifferent throughout, even feeling a slight urge to laugh, her lips curving into a smile that seemed like a half-worn human skin mask. “Not going after him?”
Angel pouted. “I don’t need his gratitude. As long as he leaves me alone…”
The loudmouth had received his due punishment, and Lena had successfully advanced to rank six. Only she had paid the price of her dignity and chastity.
“You seem to have lost all desire.”
“Because I’m no different from someone who has already died once.” Angel stared directly at Lena, braving the chilling fear. “Devil, I shouldn’t have come to you. It was the worst decision of my life!”
“Don’t dwell on the past. Let bygones be bygones.”
Lena moved gracefully, lifting Angel’s delicate face with her jade-like left hand, drawing closer.
“At least, he won’t dare offend you again, right?”
A chill permeated Angel’s skin, making her shiver, her blood turning to ice.
Lena taunted again, “I know you want to kill me. I’ll give you the chance. In fact, I’m willing to give everyone who wants me dead a chance to kill me. But before that, please live well. Your power is not enough to challenge me. Become even more desperate. I like seeing you strive, and I especially enjoy seeing the delectable expression of utter defeat after you’ve exhausted all your efforts.”
“Pervert!!” Angel spat, her face burning with shame. “Haven’t you had enough fun yet?!”
“Hmm~”
Lena walked out of the storage room, exchanging the stale air in her lungs with the fresh scent of the lush greenery.
It was good to be alive.
The feeling of revenge… had never been so intoxicating.
But…
Seeing Angel walking out behind Ling Ling, the two chatting happily, arm in arm, Lena furrowed her brows.
Why did she have a strange premonition?
She should be happy about her revenge, about venting the resentment accumulated from her past life. But bullying the future Saintess didn’t bring her any sense of satisfaction. It was too strange.
Even last night, during the process of repairing the ring, the girl’s pitiful pleas hadn’t brought her any pleasure, but felt more like a dull farce. As the protagonist, Lena had only focused on humiliating the person beneath her, her body receiving no satisfying feedback.
“Side effects of rebirth…?”
Lena chuckled, dispelling her “Mana Surge” state. Her right eye and arm quickly returned to their human form, the black mist dissipating.
“Mana Surge” was the name Lena had given to her spellcasting state.
In this life, the demonic power had fused more perfectly with her own, giving birth to many new and strange skills and abilities. Mana Surge was one of them.
Using Mana Surge didn’t require any special conditions; it was just a matter of willpower.
In exchange, she gained a surge of magic power, a constant mana regeneration buff, and no cooldown on her spells…
Although she still needed to chant, compared to traditional mages who had a daily, or even monthly, cooldown on their spells, Lena’s advantage was immense.
In addition, there were many untested skills waiting to be discovered. To unlock these skills, she had to continue climbing…
“Miss is so impressive.”
The little fox girl skipped behind Lena.
The figure before her seemed even taller and more imposing.
Beastkin had always revered strength, and Lena possessed both strength and beauty. With such a master, what was there to fear?
The stronger Lena became, the happier Ling Ling was for her.
Her desire to bear a litter of little foxes grew stronger.
“Miss… hoo~”
Ling Ling suddenly felt like lying on the ground and stretching.
Her tail curled downwards, her ears drooping softly.
She was about to stick her butt out and stretch her front paws when the strange urge disappeared.
Why was Miss a girl…?
That was nonsense. If Miss wasn’t a girl, she wouldn’t be called Miss, she would be called Master…
Ling Ling muttered to herself, leaving the fragrant grassy area.
“Ling Ling, what are you doing?”
Lena turned around, just in time to see the little fox girl pawing at the dirt with her muddy paws, while Angel cast a cleansing spell to wash them.
“Ling Ling has a request, a small request…”
After washing her hands, Ling Ling looked up at Lena.
In her golden, vertical-pupiled fox eyes, Lena saw a glimmer of hope and earnestness.
“Speak.”
“Can Ling Ling call Miss ‘Master’?” Her large eyes blinked.
Lena sighed. “I want to know why.”
“Why… hmm… why…” Ling Ling racked her brain, even her usually active tail stilled, as if all her blood had rushed to her head, determined to come up with the perfect explanation.
If Miss saw through her thoughts, her little scheme would be ruined!
“Ah! I’ve got it!”
Ling Ling clapped her paws together, as if suddenly enlightened.
“The head of the family once said that Miss is the future leader of the Falmouth family, so Ling Ling is adapting to the situation in advance, so that she can easily change her address when Miss officially takes over. Mm-hmm.”