In the arena, a towering warrior swung his giant sword, cleaving his opponent and their weapon in half.

The warrior plunged the giant sword into the defeated's corpse, and a strange scene unfolded: the defeated's blood seeped along the pine needle patterns on the giant sword, drop by drop, while the body gradually withered and shrank, like a sapling drained of juice by aphids.

"Schroeve Dahlsen has won his fifteenth consecutive victory! He's charging forward on the road to the title of Warrior Captain! The number of enemies he has slain has risen to eleven! If his opponents in the previous matches hadn't chosen to forfeit, the death toll would surely have increased even more!"

The announcer's hoarse voice shouted the results, echoing against the arena's walls, but there were no cheers from the crowd, no thunderous applause for the victor.

The audience seats surrounding the arena were empty, with only two slender figures at the very top—the only spectators. They had rented the entire arena but stood alone at the highest point, looking down like solitary eagles surveying ants below.

Without any audience response, the passionate announcer seemed to lose interest. In a monotonous tone, he announced the next match:

"Next up is Schroeve against the orichalcum-level adventurer Anderson Rupert. Um… ah, breaking news, Mr. Rupert has forfeited, giving up the duel. What a shame. So, let's congratulate Schroeve Dahlsen in advance on his sixteenth consecutive victory!"

"It turns out adventurers can be afraid of death too," one of the two spectators muttered to himself from the highest seat. He was slightly plump but dressed lavishly, exuding a royal air. The gruesome scene of the dismembered body in the arena made his round face look a bit uneasy.

"Prince, everything that lives fears death, even a lowly adventurer like dirt," Odys Malcon Waverly said, standing beside the second prince Zanac with a calm tone.

They were at the highest point of the arena, looking down like clouds over the lives of the world.

In the distance, a few elegantly dressed corpses dangled from the bell tower in the western district. Their hair was disheveled, and the nooses were tightly fastened around their necks, swaying like puppets with strings in the wind.

These were nobles hanged in recent days, accused of murdering the princess, treason, conspiracy, and corruption. After the executioner took their bodies down from the gallows, they were hung from the bell tower by the king's order to warn the nobles lurking in the dark.

"The princess's actions are quicker than we expected," Zanac said, gazing at the swaying bodies with a hint of worry in his voice.

"The culprits captured by Princess Renner are just a few pawns we tossed out," Odys replied, his eyes as calm as a still pond. "She is indeed more cunning than her peers, but she is still not enough to stand against us old-timers."

"Indeed, General Odys," Zanac said humbly. "Thanks to your support, the royal power remains stable. Sigh, I never imagined things would develop to this point. I remember when I was young, my sister and I were as close as… as friends. Ever since my brother died in battle, everything has changed."

"Do not show mercy; be wary that your sister might take everything from you—power, wealth, even your life," Odys cautioned. "Now, take your gaze away from the bell tower and look down at the arena."

At his words, Zanac immediately turned his head, looking down at the scene in the arena. In the center of the sandy ground, a warrior wielding a giant scythe had opened his opponent's abdomen, intestines spilling out onto the ground, creating a tragic sight.

"I brought you here to teach you a lesson. We stand on high; the fierce battles of lowly ants, the blood and carnage, are irrelevant to us. We need only glance down to see the situation clearly. You are destined to rise higher than anyone, so you must cultivate a sense of the bigger picture."

"Understood, General! I will remember your teachings!" Zanac replied. "But some ants, if ignored, could cause trouble. I've received intel that the Adventurer's Guild is meddling in the selection for the Warrior Captain, creating significant obstacles for us."

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"You're right. Some ants are indeed oblivious to danger, trying to snatch scraps while two giants clash. I'm already prepared to eliminate this meddlesome ant as a warning to others."

"Thank you for your efforts, General," Zanac said. "My sister has also hired an orichalcum-level adventurer named EeDeChi. She seems to play the role of guarding the princess and is quite a troublesome individual."

Odys replied coolly, "Your Highness, you need to understand this: someone on the mountain peak can shatter the skull of a rebel at the foot with just a thrown stone. When the tide turns, we can crush worms beneath our fingers, and your only concern will be that their bodies might dirty your hands."

"Wise words, General," Zanac nodded.

"When you stand atop the mountain, there's just one thing to remember," Odys said, his tone suddenly respectful. He raised a finger to the sky. "Higher than the mountain is the sky."

"The sky?" Prince Zanac looked up, gazing at the heavy, gray clouds that covered the heavens, blocking out the sunlight, creating a stifling atmosphere.

"You mean," Zanac's eyes widened, the clouds reflecting vivid colors in his pupils, "the Sorcerer Kingdom is the 'sky'!"

"Exactly," Odys smiled. "No matter how high the peak, the sky will always be above the mountain. We must respect and praise the sky to gain its blessings."

…

EeDeChi lounged in a chair, idly flipping through an old parchment scroll. She had picked it up from the black market, claiming it contained myths from five hundred years ago, written in Dragon Script, Elvish, and Common.

The merchant had insisted it was the notes of a legendary mage and charged her ten gold coins, but after Barrett took a look, he said it was worth only five silver coins. EeDeChi had a nagging feeling she'd been swindled by the shopkeeper with a Justice Value of 45, but since she had already bought it, she might as well read it.

Barrett was nearby, polishing his flying axe and checking the handle for stability and whether the enchantment had worn off. Sean was disassembling a crossbow, using cotton balls to apply tung oil for maintenance. Stella was reading a prayer related to Gaia's faith, the light filtering through the window casting a gentle glow on her white robe, calm and serene.

With the captain not stirring up trouble, this was a rare moment of leisure.

"Knock, knock, knock." Someone tapped lightly at the door. Barrett went to open it, revealing Adventurer's Guild guildmaster Tony Ulea and his nephew, Eddie Hill.

"I'm here to return a book," old Tony said, hanging his suede hat and gray coat on the rack. "Just brought my nephew along to see a bit."

He handed EeDeChi the hefty volume titled *The Mystery of Magic* and a small booklet, which contained several dark yellow papyrus maps, saying, "These are annotations written by my professional mage friend, along with some maps of the Eight Greed Kings desert. Consider them a gift."

Barrett raised an eyebrow. "What's your nephew here to see?"

"Let him see the gap by encountering someone with exceptional magical talent," old Tony said, motioning for his nephew Eddie to come closer, then addressing EeDeChi, "Adventurer captain, may I take up some of your time?"

The boy with light brown hair looked on with curiosity. EeDeChi stepped forward and asked, "What kind of encounter? Do you want me to show a 5th Tier spell?"

"No, no. I have a better way than blowing the roof off. Can you stretch out your left hand? Fingers spread wide."

EeDeChi followed his instructions and held out her hand in front of old Tony. He gently took her palm and suddenly recited a spell.

"Snap!"

A bright electric snake shot out from the top of EeDeChi's head, shattering the darkness like thunder. The electric snake darted toward the ceiling, blasting through it.

Wood chips and brick dust floated in the air as a large hole opened up in the roof, letting a shaft of sunlight in. Everyone could smell the sharp, electric scent of the air being sliced through.

"See that?" old Tony said to his nephew. "What I just cast was only a 1st Tier 'Shock Spell,' but with her body's amplification, its power is equivalent to a 3rd Tier 'Thunderstrike.' Her affinity for magic is even higher than that of a dragon's heartstring! With such talent, and she's only an orichalcum-level adventurer? If you don't put in the effort, how will you ever become a High-tier mage?"

EeDeChi suddenly realized that old Tony was using her like a magic wand!

Just as she was about to say something, she noticed Barrett and Sean covering their mouths, trying hard not to laugh. Eddie, who was being scolded by old Tony, looked at her with a dodgy gaze, the corners of his mouth curling up.

Stella bit her lip and handed over a mirror.

EeDeChi glanced in the mirror and saw her reflection: every strand of her black hair was standing on end, repelling each other, giving her a wild, frizzy look, like a black porcupine with spikes all over. This was the static effect from the electricity.

Anger surged within her as she raised her fist, pretending to swing at old Tony, caught in a mental battle between not wanting to hit an old man and wanting to teach the prankster a lesson.

Old Tony was startled by her fierce expression and quickly waved his hands. "Don't be mad, don't be mad. My old bones can't take a few punches from you. Don't worry, your hair will be back to normal in a bit."

He hurriedly shifted the topic, moving a few steps toward Barrett. "Barrett, I actually came here to discuss something else with you."