Asta's stamina was truly inhuman. Adam had trained with him once as a kid—
and the memory still gave him nightmares.
The bitter herbal sap they drank and the insane training routine were enough to break any normal person.
Adam had lasted less than half a day before giving up.
"I'll leave it to you," Magna groaned, collapsing onto the ground. His mana was completely drained—only sheer will kept him upright.
"As a senior… this is kinda embarrassing."
It wasn't really Magna's fault. This place was far from the capital, and even with strong mana, anyone would've been exhausted after such a long flight.
"Damn it…"
Adam was barely holding on himself. He took out the cookies Charmy had made and devoured them like a starving beast.
He had planned to enjoy a wild boar feast later, so he'd come on an empty stomach.
Clearly, that had been a mistake.
Note to self: never do that again.
"I did it!"
Noelle stood there in awe, her magic finally under control for the first time.
"Alright!"
Asta roared and charged forward like a wild animal.
Adam smiled, swallowing the last of his cookies in one gulp as his aura flared.
"I'm getting weaker with age, huh? Whatever—battle doesn't wait!"
He rushed in after Asta.
At that moment, Asta had already knocked Sith down—but slipped on the ice, giving his opponent a chance to strike.
"It seems that without magic, you still can't defeat me."
Sith smirked and condensed a massive ice spear, stabbing Asta straight through the gut and sending him flying.
"Dragon Blast!"
Adam fired beams of light from both his mouth and hands.
One destroyed the ice spear, and the other two shot toward the blue-robed attendant—but were stopped by a dense wall of mist.
"Tch!"
"Just you!" Sith snarled, summoning countless ice cones in the air and hurling them toward Adam.
"It's not over yet!"
Asta forced himself up, blood running down his chest, and charged again.
"You're wasting my time," Sith muttered coldly, glancing at his pocket watch. A massive ice cone formed before him, ready to impale.
"Crap! Dragon Blast!"
Adam shouted, unleashing a blast even as ice spikes slashed across his body. Pain shot through him—but a grin spread across his face.
"Go, Asta!"
He had already predicted Sith's next move. His Dragon Blast shattered the giant ice cone, clearing a path for Asta.
"I'll become the Wizard King!" Asta roared, swinging his Demon-Slayer Sword down hard and slamming Sith to the ground.
Sith coughed up blood and passed out.
The remaining followers panicked and tried to flee.
"Dragon Blast!"
Adam, barely standing, raised his left hand and fired a dazzling beam that sent one of them flying.
Asta sprinted ahead and took out two more.
But the last servant glowed with eerie blue light—his body melted away into nothingness.
"Damn it! I need to eat properly from now on!"
Adam lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for air. Noelle's water shield finally broke apart, soaking everyone inside.
The road to mastering her magic was still long.
"Ice Burial!"
Something strange happened. Magna had just recovered enough mana to use his Fire Chains to bind the enemies— but suddenly, Sith's body flared with a sinister red light.
"I… also want to serve that man…"
In an instant, Sith and his attendants turned into frozen hedgehogs—sharp ice spikes bursting from their bodies before they shattered into nothing.
The air grew eerily silent.
"What a horrifying way to die," Magna said grimly.
"Damn it! I'll never accept this! What do they think human life is?!"
Asta screamed furiously.
Noelle's face darkened, and Adam just lay there in disbelief.
"It's bad enough we missed the wild boar feast… but how the hell are we supposed to get back now?"
Was walking really the only option?
The group later helped the villagers bury old man Sehi.
Adam, wrapped in bandages like a mummy, lay motionless on the bed.
Healing magic was rare in this remote place— even those with mana could only heal small wounds slowly.
At this rate, it would take a full day just for a scratch.
"Ugh!"
Adam groaned as Asta tightened his bandages again.
Seriously, Sister Lily used to do the exact same thing.
What a cursed life.
Adam glanced at the massive demon boar Asta had dragged in—a huge beast with flames burning from its head. Maybe it really could awaken some kind of divine power.
Breaking free from his bandages, Adam conjured a small flame in his palm and started roasting the wild boar.
"Oh no… no seasoning."
He grimaced at the smell but forced himself to eat.
"The meat's good, but without salt it's torture!"
Still, he polished off both legs in no time.
"Huh? My theory was wrong?"
He opened his grimoire, flipping through pages—but the one with the Boar Talisman didn't react.
Adam frowned. He didn't believe it and ate the rest of the roasted boar.
"It seems only special creatures can awaken divine power…"
Half full and half defeated, Adam lay back, sighing in frustration.
He needed to find more unusual animals—something powerful enough to trigger a new talisman.
Maybe a super farm would be a good place to start. Plenty of animals there—one of them had to qualify.
At the moment, only two Zodiac Talismans were awakened. It was nowhere near enough.
Too damn frustrating.
Black Bulls Headquarters
The four of them returned looking like a disaster. The red carpet and broom ride home had been pure chaos.
Especially when Adam accidentally hugged Noelle mid-flight— she'd slapped him so hard they both almost fell.
If Magna hadn't reacted fast, I might've died in one of the dumbest ways in history.
Death by red carpet. Legendary.
"Good work, boys!"
Yami sat lazily on the sofa, looking pleased.
"You did well. The Wizard King heard about your mission and awarded the Black Bulls one star."
He held up a glowing star and placed it on the honor board—it vanished instantly.
"The Wizard King!" Asta shouted in excitement.
"What's a star?"
Adam blinked at the board in confusion. The Bulls had around thirty black stars—not bad, considering their reputation.
"It's a mark of honor. We're only a hundred stars behind Golden Dawn," Yami said proudly.
Adam's mouth twitched. Why the hell are you proud of that?
Asta, on the other hand, looked like he'd just lost all motivation again, thinking about Yuno.
"Oh right—since you're all back, here's your salary for the month."
Vanessa and Finral had gone to investigate Sith's remains but found no clues.
Yami waved his hand, and small pouches appeared in everyone's hands.
Adam stared at his bag, dumbfounded.
"What's that look for?" Yami frowned, assuming Adam thought it was too little.
"Wait… we get paid for being Magic Knights?"
Yami blinked. "Uh, yeah. Why else would you join?"
"I thought everyone did it for love!" Adam said, eyes tearing up with dramatic emotion.
"Wooo~ I've never seen this much money in my life!"
Two hundred thousand Yul!
He had no idea why the currency was called "Yul," but who cared?
He finally had money—he could buy some rare items now.
"As long as you're happy," Yami sighed, clearly done with his nonsense.
Everyone in the Bulls cheered, thanking their captain.
"Tomorrow's your day off, don't blow your money too fast!" Yami said, waving as he left.
"Thank you, Captain!" they shouted together.
"Congrats on your first paycheck," Vanessa said, walking up to them with a warm smile. "Let's go shopping in the city tomorrow."
"Deal!" Adam grinned, and Asta and Noelle nodded eagerly beside him.