Edric eyed the book warily. It was ancient—so old that it was barely holding itself together. Its pages were dark yellow, brittle to the touch, as if even the slightest pressure would turn them to dust.
"Is this really a spellbook?" His voice carried a hint of disbelief.
Spellbooks were created through magic. Unlike ordinary books, they didn’t decay so easily. Even after thousands of years, a true magic tome should remain untouched by time. Yet, the one in his hands looked as if it would crumble at any moment.
"I feel like I was scammed." Edric sighed.
Three million silver. That was what he had paid for this relic, and at first glance, it didn’t seem worth a fraction of that price. Still, he carefully opened it, his fingers moving with the caution of a scholar handling a lost artifact.
To his surprise, despite its aged appearance, the text inside was crisp and legible. None of the pages were missing, and though delicate, they weren’t as fragile as he had initially feared.
"Did the mage who created this do it on purpose?" He frowned. The Bloodstone Order had already examined this book, so it was unlikely that he would find anything they hadn’t.
Still, he began reading. Fortunately, he understood the ancient script it was written in.
"Twelve silver-tier spells… hmm…" He flipped through the pages, an inexplicable feeling creeping up his spine.
Something was wrong.
He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the book felt... off. His instincts screamed at him.
Frowning, Edric shut the book and examined it carefully before casting a Silver-Tier Detection Spell. A soft glow surrounded the tome—but nothing happened. No hidden enchantments, no curses, nothing suspicious.
Then, he felt it.
A strange sensation on his fingers. Looking down, his eyes narrowed as he saw a thin black substance seeping into his skin.
His expression darkened.
"Poison! Damn it!"
Not just any poison—golden-tier poison.
Even with his Golden Knight physique, it was affecting him. That alone told him how dangerous it was. Without hesitation, he activated his Poison Resistance Skill.
The moment it flared to life, the poison’s spread came to a sudden halt. It had no chance against his golden-tier resistance—it was expelled instantly, unable to leave even the faintest trace in his body.
"A good skill indeed." Edric exhaled, stepping back from the book.
Something didn’t add up.
This was a silver-tier spellbook. Why did it contain a golden-tier poison? That made no sense. "If it had poison, then the Bloodstone Order should have noticed ... unless... it is their doing!"
His eyes narrowed.
"They targeted me… they know who I am!"
Without hesitation, he cast a Flight Spell, his instincts screaming at him to escape.
But before he could take off—
The book shone red.
His pupils shrank.
"A trap—!"
BOOM!
The explosion engulfed everything.
...
The explosion was massive, a catastrophic blast that obliterated everything within a 1,000-foot radius. Houses crumbled into dust, the shockwave tearing through the district like an unstoppable force. Countless people perished in an instant, reduced to nothing by the sheer devastation.
Not even golden knights could survive such overwhelming destruction with their bodies alone.
But Edric…
Edric wasn’t just a knight.
He was also a mage, and more importantly, he possessed an incredibly rare skill—
Legendary Skill: Energy Absorption.
Standing in the aftermath of the explosion, Edric slowly opened his eyes. His clothes were in tatters, and shallow cuts covered his skin from the shards scattered by the explosion. Fortunately, his Energy Absorption skill had shielded him from the searing heat—and, more importantly, the deadly magical radiation unleashed by the blast.
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His gaze turned cold.
There was no longer any doubt—someone wanted him dead.
First, they poisoned him, likely hoping to weaken his resistance. Then, they triggered an explosion powerful enough to erase an entire district. A two-pronged assassination attempt—one subtle, one overwhelming.
But whoever orchestrated this attack had underestimated him.
They failed.
A faint sound caught his attention.
Edric’s eyes snapped in that direction, his senses sharpening.
From the swirling dust and debris, three figures emerged.
Each one radiated an oppressive golden aura—
Golden knights!
His heart sank.
"Three golden knights… This isn’t good."
...
Fabian, one of the approaching knights, narrowed his eyes as he studied Edric. He had expected their target to be weakened—at least injured—after enduring the full force of the explosion.
Instead, the man before them, though looking battered and miserable, wasn’t seriously injured at all.
"Does he have a trump card?" Fabian’s wariness grew.
This should have been simple. Three golden knights against a single opponent—an enemy they believed to be already weakened. Victory should have been certain.
Yet, the reality before them was something else entirely.
This meant the plan had already gone astray, despite their careful preparation.
He had been extremely careful.
After finding out about the unknown golden knight appearing in Darkwind City, Fabian wasted no time investigating. It didn’t take long for him to uncover the knight’s whereabouts—Kaelith had let slip crucial information about this mysterious figure and where he had gone.
An unidentified golden knight was a potential threat. A dangerous variable.
Acting swiftly, Fabian devised a plan. With the cooperation of the Bloodstone Order, they tracked him to the annual auction. The moment he purchased the book, they acted.
A golden-tier incapacitating poison was carefully applied to its pages—potent enough to weaken even a golden knight. Alongside that, a peak golden-rank explosive formation was embedded within the tome.
The only downside was that these modifications left the book in terrible condition, barely holding together. But it didn’t matter. What mattered was that it served its purpose.
The book was delivered.
And outside, Fabian, Duke Oscar Stonefist, and Master Elliot waited—ready to intervene should the trap fail. Golden knights were notoriously hard to kill, their vitality monstrous, their endurance unfathomable.
They had to be certain.
The explosion that followed was devastating, leveling the entire district.
And yet—
It wasn’t enough.
Fabian’s eyes locked onto the lone figure standing amidst the destruction.
He was not seriously injured—or if he was, he was exceptionally good at concealing it.
Fabian’s grip tightened. He could only hope it was the latter.
Then—
"Who are you?" The mysterious golden knight's voice was cold, devoid of emotion.
Fabian’s response was just as merciless.
"Die!"
There was no need for words.
In an instant, Duke Oscar Stonefist and Master Elliot moved, fanning out to form a three-way encirclement around their target, maintaining a distance of 100 meters. Fabian followed suit, ready to strike from three directions at once.
But before any of them could attack—
The mysterious knight suddenly drew a sword.
Not just any sword—a weapon radiating with a golden aura.
And then—he hurled it.
Straight at Duke Stonefist.
"What?!"
Fabian’s thoughts raced, but his body couldn’t keep up.
The sword shot through the air like a meteor, its speed terrifying.
Fabian felt a chill creep into his heart.
"How is he throwing his sword so fast?!"
Fabian's mind reeled as he watched the weapon hurtle through the air at an unbelievable speed. As a Golden Knight, his eyes could track it perfectly, but his body wasn’t fast enough to react. If the sword had been aimed at him, his only option would have been to use his trump card—his body simply wasn’t quick enough to dodge. Even though Golden Knights possess immense physical strength, their sight still far surpasses their speed.
"Its velocity… Tens of thousands of feet per second?!"
Even as a golden knight, blessed with inhuman reflexes, Fabian found himself utterly helpless before such raw speed.
Of course, what he didn’t know was that Edric possessed a golden-tier skill—
Magnetic Pull.
A power that allowed him to manipulate metal, accelerating his weapons to terrifying speeds.
Duke Oscar Stonefist saw death approaching.
Desperately, he tried to raise his golden-tier shield, hoping to block or deflect the oncoming strike.
But—
His shield wouldn’t move.
It felt as though it were stuck, refusing to budge no matter how much strength he poured into his arm.
A cold dread crept into his heart.
Realizing his shield was useless, he made the split-second decision to dodge, twisting his body to avoid a fatal blow.
Yet—
His body wouldn’t move properly either.
Something was restraining him, slowing his reactions just enough to make escape impossible. He could still force himself to move—but it wasn’t fast enough.
What he didn’t know was that Edric possessed Telekinesis.
Though only a silver-tier skill, it was still powerful enough to momentarily disrupt his balance—just enough to ensure he wouldn’t evade the incoming sword.
The deadly blade closed in.
The entire sequence of events felt like it lasted an eternity—
But in reality, it all happened in less than a hundredth of a second.
Battles between golden knights moved at speeds incomprehensible to mere mortals.
As the sword neared, Oscar knew he had no choice.
In a final act of desperation, he activated his trump card.
With a mere thought, a massive golden shield materialized out of nowhere, appearing directly in the sword’s path.
This was no ordinary defense—it was a golden-tier spell crystal, a treasure that had cost him a fortune. It activated instantly, forming an impenetrable wall of golden energy.
If it couldn’t completely block the strike, it would at least dampen its force.
But—
BOOM!
The moment the sword made contact—
The shield exploded.
Fabian, watching from a distance, felt a chill shoot down his spine.
This wasn’t a normal collision.
The explosion’s power was far beyond what should’ve resulted from the impact alone.
What he didn’t know was that Edric’s legendary skill—Energy Absorption—was at play.
The skill didn’t just absorb mana, heat, and other forms of pure energy—it stored them.
And when the time came—
It unleashed them.
Over 50% of the explosion’s force had been transferred directly to the tip of Edric’s golden sword.
The result—
A devastating blast that shattered Oscar’s golden shield in an instant.
Before the duke could react—
The sword pierced his neck.
A clean, decisive strike.
His head flew from his shoulders.
In a single attack—
A golden knight was slain.