Free Web NovelChapter 4: Chapter 4: The Whole Continent Shakes!
In the far south of the continent, the Desert Kingdom.
The scorching sun baked the endless sea of sand.
Deep inside the ancient Temple of the Sun, thick smoke filled the air.
The oldest Witch Doctor in the Desert Kingdom was performing a blessing for the new king.
Hundreds of royal nobles knelt respectfully on the stone slabs of the temple.
Just as the blessing ceremony reached its peak,
The old Witch Doctor’s emaciated body suddenly twitched violently.
The ripples of the Grand Prophecy flooded into his mind through his Mental Power, which was connected to the earth.
"No...!!!"
The old Witch Doctor let out a wail of pure agony.
He fell straight off the altar, crashing hard onto the cold stone floor.
The mysterious vessels used for the sacrifice shattered into pieces all over the ground.
The young Tsar turned pale with fear and rushed forward to help.
"High Witch Doctor!! What is wrong??!"
But the old Witch Doctor pushed the Tsar away, clutching his head tightly with both hands.
His eyes rolled back in terror, and foam bubbled from his mouth.
In his mental perception, he saw the apocalyptic scene projected by the Grand Prophecy.
Four fire meteors that blocked the sun and sky smashed the earth into a sea of magma.
"Apocalypse... The end of days has arrived!!"
A desperate scream erupted from the old Witch Doctor’s withered throat.
"That is the wrath of the gods!! Those are stars that burn everything!!"
"Arthur Voss... the messenger of destruction!!"
"People of the desert, pray!! Under the majesty of a Forbidden Spell, we are all ants!!"
The entire Temple of the Sun fell into a dead silence of panic.
The believers screamed and cried as if the end of the world was truly about to happen in the next second.
In just one day, this news spread across the entire Elderia continent like an unstoppable wildfire.
The name "Arthur Voss" became a taboo and a myth in the mouths of all magicians overnight.
In the taverns of the Adventurers’ Guild,
The burly men didn’t even have time to drink their beer. They gathered around the campfire, spitting and shouting.
"Did you hear?? That tough guy from the Kingdom of Oran actually pulled a star out of the sky!!"
"Forget it!! I heard he summoned ten fire dragons in one breath!!"
"Even our Guild Master rushed to the Kingdom of Oran last night. He said he’d gladly be a groom just to lead his horse!!"
Inside the library of the Mages’ Guild,
Those scholars who prided themselves on being noble and knowledgeable were now frantically flipping through ancient books.
"What does 9th-Level even mean?? Is it a relic from the Age of Gods??"
"Who can deduce the spell model of Meteor Blast?? Even if it’s just one ten-thousandth of the technique!!"
"Stop dreaming, it’s a miracle!! It’s a miracle where the soul touches the truth!!"
And as the very center of this storm, the capital of the Kingdom of Oran was now completely boiling with activity.
The once peaceful streets of the capital were now so packed with people that you couldn’t even move.
Countless fancy carriages poured in from all directions.
Outside the black iron gates of Lancelot Royal Magic Academy, which were over ten meters high, tens of thousands of onlookers had gathered.
The kingdom’s noble knights tried desperately to keep order, but it was completely useless.
"Let me in!! I’m the nephew of the Royal Minister of Finance; I want to become Arthur’s student!!"
"Get lost!! I’m the deputy commander of an A-Rank Mercenary Guild; I want to donate the whole guild to Lord Arthur!!"
"My god, is that the academy that birthed a Forbidden Spell?? I can still feel the divine power lingering in the air!!"
People pushed forward crazily, just to get a little closer to the academy that created the legend.
Even some crazy magic apprentices fell to their knees on the stone pavement outside the gates, bowing their heads to worship from afar.
"Forbidden Mage!!"
"Earthly avatar of the God of Magic!!"
The shouting waves grew higher and higher, almost like they were going to blow the capital’s sky apart.
Inside the academy.
In the Dean’s office, Grand Archmagus Alberto was frantically dealing with piles of letters.
This strongest man in the Kingdom of Oran now looked even older, with more white hair than before.
"Dean!! The special envoy from the Holy Empire is already on the way!!"
"The King has just sent twelve golden medals, demanding an immediate audience with Arthur Voss!!"
"The Holy Paladins of the Holy Light Church are also gathering at the border, saying they are here to protect the ’Miracle’!!"
Dean Beck burst into the office, sweating profusely with a voice that cracked from panic.
He regretted everything to the point of regretting his own guts.
Thinking back to his cold mockery of Arthur from that high platform, Beck now wished he could slap himself a hundred times.
If Lord Arthur held even a little grudge, one "Meteor Blast" could fall, and he wouldn’t even leave any ash behind.
"Calm down!!"
Alberto slammed his hand on the table, and the Grand Archmagus’s pressure barely managed to stabilize the situation.
"No matter who comes, tell them Arthur Voss is a student of our Lancelot Academy!!"
"Under no circumstances allow anyone to disturb him without my permission!!"
Alberto gritted his teeth, walked to the window, and stared deeply at the student dormitory area in the distance.
He knew this decision might bring the academy unprecedented disaster.
But he also knew that the academy was now holding a miracle that could change the course of the entire world’s history.
At the same time, in a plain dormitory building in the most remote back corner of the academy.
The noise outside seemed to be completely cut off from here.
Arthur Voss was lying comfortably on a creaky wooden bed, hands clasped behind his head, staring at the stained, peeling ceiling.
Sunlight filtered through the window, casting a faint golden glow on his delicate, approachable face.
"Looks like they made quite a scene over there."
Arthur pouted, letting out a reluctant sigh.
Truth be told, he hadn’t planned to be so flashy in the first place.
But who could blame him when the magic system in this world was so primitive??
Those so-called "Wind Trick" and "Fireball" spells weren’t even 0-level cantrips in the D&D system.
"But, by forcing that 9th-Level Forbidden Spell today, I’ve finally tested the limits of this body."
Arthur closed his eyes, letting his consciousness sink back into his mental ocean.
That massive D&D magic library stood there, silent and vast.
From the 1st-Level [Magic Missile] to the 9th-Level [Time Stop], down to the Legendary Spells, it had everything.
But he had realized that this "Double-F Failure" body was a huge bottleneck.
"Even though I can construct a perfect spell model in my head and channel the laws of the universe..."
"My Mental Power is too weak; I can’t handle the strain of sustained spell casting."
"Today’s [Meteor Blast] looked terrifying, but it was just a projection of pressure. If I actually unleashed the full blast, the feedback from the laws of the universe would fry my brain instantly."
Arthur calmly analyzed his strengths and weaknesses.
"So, I need to change my approach."
"What’s the true essence of a mage?? Standing still to deal damage?? Engaging in hand-to-hand combat??"
"No, that’s stuff for reckless fools."
A playful smirk curled the corners of Arthur’s lips.
"A real mage should hide behind layers of shields ten kilometers away, use Divination Magic to lock onto enemies, sip some afternoon tea, and then blast them to smithereens with a long-range [Disintegrate]."
"Safe, elegant. That is the romance of a true mage."
Just as Arthur was daydreaming about his future "sniper" career,
Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!
The old wooden door of the dormitory was suddenly hammered with such force that it sounded like the door was about to be ripped off.
"Who is it??"
Arthur lazily rolled onto his side, having zero desire to move.
"Arthur!! It’s me!!"
A crisp, cheerful, and energetic voice came from outside.
Before Arthur could even answer, the door creaked open, forced wide from the outside.
A petite, cute figure burst into the room like a whirlwind.
It was Lilian August.
The Kingdom of Oran’s little princess was currently buzzing with excitement like a kitten who had stepped on a live wire.
Her brilliant golden hair sparkled under the sunlight, her round apple-face was flushed red, and her jade-green eyes shimmered with unmistakable admiration and fanaticism.
She was wearing a delicate white princess dress today, looking just like the most expensive doll in a shop window.
"Arthur!! You’re amazing!! You’re literally a god descending to earth!!"
Lilian dove toward the bedside, cupping her small face with both hands. Her big eyes blinked up at Arthur as if he were a rare treasure.
"You have no idea how crazy it is outside!!"
"The whole capital has packed the academy gates until they’re about to collapse!!"
"My father just sent three urgent letters, asking if I know you. He even wants to crown you as the Royal Guardian Mage of the Kingdom!!"
