Clark City's Mercenary Guild wasn't just for human knights—mages like Kai could also join, take on quests, and earn rewards. That said, nearly all mages who joined were only apprentices. Formal mages and above rarely affiliated themselves with organizations focused solely on profit. What mages valued most was knowledge.
If a small faction owned a coveted private library, even Tier 2+ formal mages might be tempted to join. Knowledge was priceless.
Seated in the inn's corner, Kai had no interest in the burly knights nearby—even the mercenary captain, a mid-tier squire, failed to catch his attention. Before reaching Clark City, Kai and Qi had already captured a mid-tier squire bandit together, dissecting him for research. Mid-tier squires had stronger battle qi than low-tier ones, and their muscle fibers showed far more dramatic changes. This method of tempering the body with battle qi to break physical limits fascinated apprentice mages like Kai.
While knights focused on forging their bodies through endless training, mages dedicated themselves to exploring the depths of the mind and mental power. Take Kai, for example: his physical stats were still around 10, but his mental power had soared to over 50.
Kai tried to tune out the knights, but their voices were too loud. Then, their conversation took a turn that made him lean in, his furrowed brow relaxing slightly.
The Kingdom of Sifa and the Orc Empire—two human nations north of Clark City—had gone to war. It was the third conflict between them in twenty years. In fact, skirmishes and wars between the three human nations north of the Underdark were constant. Just two years prior, the third nation, the Lycia Alliance, had also clashed with the Orc Empire along their borders.
The Orc Empire, Kingdom of Sifa, and Lycia Alliance—these were the three human nations north of the Underdark. Their strength ranking was clear: Orc Empire first, Kingdom of Sifa second, Lycia Alliance third.
The Orc Empire's might was undisputed; rumors even claimed they raised a corps of dragon riders. The ranking between Sifa and Lycia, however, was more contested. The Lycia Alliance actually had a larger territory, more people, and bigger armies than Sifa. But Lycia was a confederation of lords—while it had a nominal leader, the Grand Duke, he couldn't control all his vassals. Lords in remote regions often ignored the Alliance's orders entirely. As a result, the fragmented Lycia Alliance was slightly weaker than the centralized Kingdom of Sifa.
For decades, Sifa and Lycia had usually allied to fend off the Orc Empire's pressure. Legend had it that Sifa had once been an empire—the Sifa Empire—and books and chronicles from that era still survived. No one knew why the empire had collapsed, eventually becoming the Kingdom of Sifa we know today.
Kai gleaned all this from the loudmouthed mercenaries. The information was crucial—it would determine which nation he visited first.
"The Lycia Alliance should be relatively stable right now, so it's my top choice for heading north," he muttered. "But based on past wars and Lycia's long history of border clashes with the Orc Empire, it's only a matter of time before Lycia joins the fight. I just hope I don't walk right into a three-way war."
From the mercenaries, Kai also learned that the wars between the three nations had yet to involve Tier 1+ powerhouses. The most powerful fighter the chatty mercenary mentioned was a quasi-knight—on par with a quasi-mage. While magical forces had been deployed in the wars, they were all apprentice mages; there was no sign of formal mages joining the fray.
"There must be formal mages in the north. The Green Source Holy Tower alone must have quite a few, not to mention other magic organizations," Kai thought. "There must be hidden reasons or considerations for why no Tier 1+ mages are intervening in these national wars."
After resting in Clark City for three days, Kai set off north. With a war raging, traveling alone could spell trouble—especially along the borders. So Kai joined a small-to-medium mercenary group, planning to travel with them to the Lycia Alliance.
Oddly enough, the war had led to a surge in high-paying mercenary quests in the north. From transporting supplies to escorting people, the Mercenary Guild had countless tasks for these battle-hardened knights. Some mercenaries, wary of their own strength, avoided the north during the conflict. Others—powerful knights with battle qi—saw the war as a chance to get rich.
Every war between the three nations brought the fall of old nobles and the rise of new ones. Mercenaries thought simply: unlike mages like Kai, who chased truth and elemental mysteries, their lifelong goals were promotion, wealth, and beautiful women. If they could distinguish themselves in the war and be granted a noble title, they'd become envied lords.
The mercenary group Kai joined had twenty members—small to medium in size. Their mission was to transport grain and iron to the Lycia Alliance. Not everyone in the group had mastered battle qi; learning it required talent. From his conversations with the captain, Kai learned that new recruits without battle qi had to serve the guild for seven years before the captain would teach them the basics and grant them a "battle qi seed."
Of the twenty-odd members, only seven—including the captain—had battle qi: one mid-tier squire, two low-tier squires, and four entry-tier squires. These were the group's core fighters.
"Master Kai, once we cross that mountain range, we'll enter Lycia Alliance territory," the mercenary captain, Hussein, said at their evening camp, pointing to the dark, twilight-shrouded mountains in the distance.
A month had passed since they left Clark City. With supplies and non-combatants in tow, their pace was slower than Kai's solo travels. Kai had introduced himself to Hussein as a mid-tier apprentice mage—and after demonstrating a Fire Wall spell, Hussein had eagerly recruited him. Hussein's deference and enthusiasm stemmed from his desire to keep this capable mage in the group long-term. In Clark City, mercenary groups with mages were all well-known large factions.
Hussein, a mid-tier squire, had ambition. Rumor had it his ancestors had been nobles, and the battle qi technique he taught his men was a family heirloom. But Kai had remained indifferent to Hussein's overtures. Earning gold coins with the guild—or even risking his life for a noble title—was never his goal.
He also noticed a stark difference between knights and apprentice mages. Back in Pete City, Frank, a mid-tier apprentice, had quickly realized Kai was a senior apprentice after talking to him. But Hussein, despite being a mid-tier squire, had never suspected Kai was stronger than he claimed—he still believed Kai was just a mid-tier apprentice.
Kai attributed this gap to mental power. Mages with higher mental power could keenly sense others' mental strength and compare it to their own. That wasn't to say knights had no way to gauge strength: once they reached a certain level, their mental power would naturally evolve. Before that, experienced knights—those who'd survived countless battles—could rely on intuition and danger sense to judge an opponent's might.
Hussein, however, lacked that ability. He was a mid-tier squire with drive but excessive caution. A true daredevil—even a low-tier squire—would dare to take quests deep in the war zones between Sifa and the Orc Empire. Hussein, by contrast, had only led his group on a safe supply run to the Lycia Alliance.
The dark mountains Hussein pointed to were Kai's final hurdle before leaving the Underdark—and the most dangerous stretch of their journey to Lycia. Known as the "Beast Mountains," they served as a natural border barrier for the Lycia Alliance. Even the powerful Orc Empire had never considered crossing them to attack Lycia. Legend spoke of Tier 1 magical beasts—far stronger than ordinary creatures—but no one had ever seen them.
Hussein, who had led his group to Lycia several times, confirmed that powerful beasts lived in the mountains. The strongest one he'd seen was a high-tier Azure-Eyed Crystal Ape. Once they crossed the mountains, the danger of their mission would drop by 70%.
After a night's rest, the group set off to traverse the Beast Mountains. By now, the group had grown to around thirty people—including Kai, the mercenaries, and nearly ten men from the employer's private retinue.
The employer was an old man with a goatee. He claimed to have connections in the Lycia Alliance and had come to Clark City to trade grain and iron; selling them in Lycia would net him a huge profit. The old man had some clout: his retinue included two mid-tier squires, four low-tier squires, and even a low-tier apprentice mage as an advisor. His force was already on par with Hussein's mercenaries.
As a senior apprentice and alchemist, Kai also detected the faint elemental aura of a low-tier magical item on the old man.
"Master Kai, we'll rely on you heavily to get through the Beast Mountains," the goateed old man said respectfully, approaching Kai before they set off. Thanks to his low-tier mage advisor, the old man knew Kai was far stronger than a mere mid-tier apprentice.
Kai only grunted in response.
The Beast Mountains lived up to their reputation as the most dangerous part of the journey. On their first day in the mountains, the group lost a member—not to a beast, but to a deadly plant. He'd stepped on a thorny, toxic plant, and by the time they found him, the poison had already killed him.
"White Thorn Blossoms! Dammit, I told them to be careful, and someone still gets got!" Hussein cursed. The dead man was his man, and per the guild's rules and the recruitment contract, he'd have to pay compensation to the man's family—even though the victim was just a regular member without battle qi.
Kai paid little attention to the dead man. He only collected a few drops of translucent liquid from the man's blackened foot as a sample.
Given the mountains' width and their pace, it would take at least five days to cross them. The first and last days were usually safe; the real danger lay in the middle three days, when they'd be deep in the mountains' heart.
On the second day, Kai released Qi. The owl's appearance deepened the mercenaries' awe of Kai—especially when they realized it was a powerful magical beast. Hussein even stopped mentioning recruiting Kai; their small guild couldn't possibly hold such a powerful figure. Beyond regret, though, Hussein felt relief: the stronger Kai was, the lower their chances of suffering losses in the mountains.
"How is it, Qi? Any sign of powerful beasts nearby?" Kai asked, looking up at the owl circling overhead. Qi's brown eyes were fixed on the western part of the mountains—an area the group hadn't entered.
"There are beasts as strong as me to the east and west. The west, in particular, has something even stronger," Qi replied.
Anything stronger than Qi—a quasi-tier beast—would be a Tier 1 magical beast, on par with formal mages and knights. Kai hadn't expected the Beast Mountains to harbor such powerful creatures.
With the end of the Underdark within sight, Kai saw no need to hide Qi anymore. The Dawn Holy Tower and the knights who'd destroyed Menzoberranzan were from the south; their influence couldn't possibly reach the three northern nations. Qi's presence was a display of Kai's strength.
In this world, strength ruled everywhere. Blind modesty wasn't always wise—sometimes, showing off your power and capabilities was the best way to avoid trouble and seize opportunities.
Qi's aura acted as a deterrent. No foolish beasts dared to attack the group as they traversed the mountains. Magical beasts had a stricter hierarchy than humans; lower-tier beasts would never dare provoke stronger ones. The law of the jungle had taught them humility and restraint.
They still fought a few skirmishes, though—thanks to the mountains' abundant resources. Low-tier magical materials were everywhere, and Qi, used to collecting them for Kai, brought back countless mid- and low-tier ingredients during their journey. On the third day, it even dragged back a two-meter-tall magical boar with its Wind Chains.
"Th-That's a Hurricane Boar?" Hussein stammered, pointing at the boar. A gaping hole was torn in its skull—its wind-attribute magic core was gone, eaten by Qi.
Kai took the boar's tusks, heart, and a patch of soft white fur from its chest— the most valuable parts of this mid-tier beast. Their faint elemental energy meant Kai could use them to craft mid- and low-tier magical items. He generously gave the boar's meat to the group; it was enough for a feast. The goateed old man bought the boar's hide, paying Kai a small chest with 500 gold coins.
These were Lycia Alliance gold coins—larger and purer than those in the Underdark. According to Hussein, the exchange rate between Lycia coins and Underdark coins was usually 1:5, sometimes even 1:6. The Orc Empire's "Orc Gold" was the most valuable currency in the north; rumors said the empire had even started using gold notes for large transactions instead of physical coins.
Five days later, Kai left the Beast Mountains with the group, still impressed by the haul. The resources he'd collected in those five days were nearly equal to what he'd found in over half a year of traveling. It was no wonder countless mercenary groups ventured into the mountains to try their luck—some struck it rich, while others left their bones there, feeding the mountain's lush forests. Even apprentice mages had perished in the Beast Mountains.
"The resources here are richer than any area we've passed through," Kai murmured. "If I weren't already self-sufficient in mid- and low-tier resources for training and research, this place would be a perfect treasure trove to explore."
"Goo… It's fine for a short while, but not long-term," Qi replied. "I've already felt two creatures as strong as me showing hostility. If we stayed longer, we'd not only anger the native beasts but might even trigger a beast tide."
Magical beasts had strict territorial boundaries. For Qi, a foreign quasi-tier beast, the easiest way to integrate into the mountains would be to defeat a powerful local beast. But as a passing looter, it was only natural that most high-tier beasts in the mountains would resent and resist it.
High-tier beasts were no fools—especially quasi-tier ones like Qi, whose intelligence matched that of ordinary humans. While the Wizarding World was dominated by human knights and mages, magical beasts still held their ground, especially in mid- to low-tier realms. Anyone who destroyed the local ecological balance would be eliminated—no matter their background—by the kings of the world's various beast mountains. Even if the Holy Towers or Knight Temples protested, these powerful beast kings could invoke the "Guardians" as their patrons. As a powerful world civilization, the Wizarding World had no shortage of Tier 4+ beast kings.
The Beast Mountains were just a small pond, though—they had no such powerful creatures. Based on Qi's observations, the strongest beast in the mountains was likely Tier 2, hiding deep in the western forests.
"Master Kai, won't you reconsider joining the Fatt Family?" the goateed old man asked again after they entered Lycia Alliance territory. "The Fatt Family is one of the top nobles in eastern Lycia. Viscount Fatt would welcome you warmly."
"Once we reach Black Fortress ahead, we'll have fulfilled our contract with the Mercenary Guild," Kai replied, declining politely. "I'm sorry, but I have no plans to join any noble faction right now. Besides, I'm heading west from Black Fortress."
Traveling with the mercenaries and the well-connected old man had its perks. They passed through Lycia's border checkpoint with just a word to the guards, and after the old man showed the Fatt Family's badge and credentials, a squad of soldiers even joined their escort. The old man had been telling the truth—the Fatt Family wielded considerable influence in eastern Lycia.
Kai's destination, however, was the west. Shortly after entering Lycia, the long-dormant Bloodline Tracking Magic in his body had finally reacted. It confirmed he was from the Lycia Alliance—he just didn't know if his family was a noble house in central or western Lycia.
Central Lycia's nobles held higher titles and controlled the Alliance's richest plains, with large populations under their rule. Western Lycia's nobles bordered the Kingdom of Sifa; the region had a tougher ,and their private armies were far stronger.