These three terrifying adults suddenly burst into the house and killed their parents and eldest brother in an extremely horrifying manner.

No matter how the victims pleaded, their expressions remained calm throughout, as if they were not killing human beings but rather livestock that could be slaughtered at will.

"This energy should be sufficient for a while. I simply adore this feeling!" One of the dark mages closed his eyes and said with a hint of satisfaction.

"There are still two more. Give them to me," said another dark mage, who threw aside the corpse of the young man he had been holding, licked his lips, and said sinisterly.

Watching the hand that resembled dry branches reaching out towards them, the two boys were terrified beyond measure, and their lower bodies were already soaked with urine.

The withered hand tightly gripped the tender necks of the two boys, and little by little, their life force was being absorbed.

The two boys felt themselves growing weaker and weaker, and they were in extreme discomfort.

The dark mage, who had just started to enjoy the process, suddenly heard the other two mages shouting a warning:"Knights are approaching!"

The dark mage holding the two boys cursed under his breath. With a sudden exertion of his fingers, he directly choked the two young lives to death.

After that, the three of them rushed out of the room separately and soon disappeared from sight.

A few minutes later, a group of knights fully clad in iron armor ran past the window. Only a few of them pushed open the door, took a look at the corpses in the house, and then backed out.

The commotion outside died down, and no one came to deal with the situation.

Official knights, being nobles, would not touch the filthy corpses of these commoners.

If any of the knights who had just peeked in happened to think of it later, they might notify some people specially tasked with collecting the bodies to come over...

...

Looking at the lush greenery all around, with vegetation taller than a person crowding the base of the trees, Glen asked suspiciously,"Is this the destination?"

The old man was observing something on the ground and said evasively,"Probably."

"All right, but three silver coins won't be enough," Glen said calmly.

"Five silver coins," the old man stood up and said indifferently.

"You're indeed quite wealthy," Glen teased.

The old man did not respond. Instead, he tossed a bottle of medicine to Glen and said,"Apply this on your body. It can mask your scent."

Glen took the bottle of medicine. It felt cold to the touch, and he couldn't tell what material it was made of. He opened the cork, and a smell of herbs wafted into his nostrils, refreshing his nerves.

Without asking what it was, he roughly applied the ointment-like substance all over his body.

"Follow me," the old man said and took the lead in walking into the dense vegetation.

Glen activated the wolf venom, causing a layer of fine hair to cover his skin, and then followed suit.

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The thick vegetation reduced the visibility to almost no more than the length of an arm. However, the old man seemed to be able to see through it all, leading Glen forward without any obstacles.

After walking for half an hour, they suddenly emerged into the open.

An open area appeared ahead. The old man suddenly raised his hand to signal a stop, and Glen had no intention of moving either.

"There are magical traps," the old man suddenly whispered.

"How do you know?" Glen carefully observed the area ahead but did not find any obvious anomalies. However, the area ahead did give him an uneasy feeling. It was too quiet!

The old man's gaze was sharp. He somehow had a small bag in his hand. He grabbed something from it, then bent down and crawled on all fours, resembling a lizard.

Glen secretly marveled at the old man's physical condition. At his age, he could still perform such a difficult action, which required a great deal of arm strength and chest muscle.

"Follow in my footsteps. Keep up," the old man's voice came. Glen then stepped on the spots where the old man had stepped and followed at a leisurely pace.

The old man would occasionally sprinkle some of the powdery substance in his hand around before continuing to move forward.

It was not until they reached the center of the open area that the old man stood up. At this moment, Glen couldn't help but ask out of curiosity,"Old man, how did you discover the magical traps here? And what was that powder you just sprinkled?"

"Although there doesn't seem to be anything unusual here, the terrain has been deliberately arranged. If you observe carefully, you'll notice that the pattern formed by the vegetation and the ponds resembles a certain rune. It's a very sophisticated magical formation, and few people would be able to detect it because there are no signs of any human activity here, not even that of animals," the old man explained slowly as he put away the things in his hand.

"What was that powder you just sprinkled?"

"Just a little aid. It helps me identify the trigger points of the traps. But it's not something that ordinary people can learn. It requires an absolute abundance of experience to achieve," the old man replied.

It sounds really impressive... Glen thought in admiration and then asked, "How do you know so much?"

The old man glanced at Glen and said in his usual indifferent tone, "I used to be a Doctor of Magic at Southredon University in the Zern Kingdom."

Glen: "!!!"

If Glen remembered correctly, Southredon was one of the top universities in the Zern Kingdom. The old man was actually a doctor from this university!

"Then can you..."

"I'm not a mage, so I can't perform magic," the old man interrupted Glen.

A Doctor of Magic who can't perform magic? Glen's eyes widened in confusion.

"Anyone can study the theory of magic, but not everyone can become a mage," the old man said, pulling out his shotgun as he noticed Glen's confusion. "Mastering the theory of magic allows one to serve those mages. People like me are highly sought after even by legendary mages, to prepare magic potions for them, calculate the circuits of magical formations, and deduce incantations, among other things."

So, he's like a super assistant... Glen summed it up in his mind and continued to ask, "Besides the high cost, are there any other requirements to become a mage?"

"Of course," the old man affirmed. "To become a mage, one must have an elemental affinity of over 60%. If it's lower than this value, learning magic is just a waste of time."

Glen nodded thoughtfully.

"All right, we've been discovered. Let's deal with this trouble first and then talk," the old man suddenly raised his shotgun and said.

Upon hearing this, Glen didn't show any surprise. He had already heard the rapid running sounds in the distance and thus looked towards the source of the sound.

Five figures dressed in black robes rushed out. Their faces were all repulsive, and they charged directly towards Glen and the old man.

Claws like scythes grew from their hands, and a black aura surrounded them.

The attacker in the front swung his claws with a shrill sound that tore through the air and fiercely stabbed at the old man in front.

In the face of this attack, the old man remained completely calm. He still held the shotgun steadily and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The bullet hit the attacker right between the eyebrows. The attacker's forward momentum stopped abruptly, and he fell backward, rolling several times before coming to a halt.

The other four attackers followed closely behind and charged towards the old man. Just as Glen was about to take action, he saw the old man suddenly open his coat, revealing... a black hole on his chest!

Under Glen's wide-eyed gaze, the black hole unleashed a dense mass of black tentacles that instantly tore the four attackers into pieces.

The tentacles retracted in an instant. The old man suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed to the ground, his face contorted with pain. Cold sweat soaked his face, and his blood vessels bulged, indicating the intense suffering he was experiencing at that moment.

"You could have let me take action. Why endure this pain?" Glen looked at the old man, utterly confused.

It was obvious that using that power came at a cost. Logically, it shouldn't be used casually. Those were just a few lackeys, and there was no need for such a drastic measure.