Fire Mage

'All settled.' Edith looked outside at the dark sky and checked her spatial ring.

'Hmm, I need money first.' Although she could steal whatever she wanted from the shops easily, she felt it might expose her identity and decided to act cautiously.

'Before that, I need a Spatial ring with a large space.' The one she got from Targa had only 10 cubic meters of space.

Edith stealthily left the Inn around 9. P.M. and went to an artifact shop.

She then brought a spatial ring with a space of 200 cubic meters and all the money she had and moved out of the city.

'I have enough strength even to kill a Dual Class Legendary Mystic, but I'm still too weak to face multiple opponents.' Edith sighed as she arrived at the outskirts of the Holy City.

After that, she slowly ascended to the sky while manipulating her wisdom power and flew towards the north.

A few minutes later, she arrived at a dense woodland and started hunting the magical beasts.

She started with a Rank-5 Magical Beast called 'Crimson Toad,' then three snake-type Magical Beasts, four wolf-type beasts, and even managed to kill a Rank-6 Horned Saber Tiger.

She continued her hunting until early morning and managed to hunt over 100 Rank-4 Magical Beasts, 20 Rank-5 Magical Beasts, and one Legendary Magical Beast!

Even a Dual Class Mystic would find it hard to kill this many magical beasts in a single night.

'I can get a few decent artifacts if I sell these in the upcoming auction.' She stored the magical beast corpses and looked up at the southern sky.

A moment later, two eerily dark wings made of flame appeared behind her and flapped on their own.

The next moment, she shot up towards the sky and flew in the direction of the Holy City.

…

Around 6. A.M, Edith returned to the Holy City and went to the Merchant Borough.

A gentle morning breeze passed through the stone-paved streets of the Merchant Borough as the young man with chestnut-brown hair and calm black eyes walked through the bustling crowd. Clad in a simple grey robe and a deep hood covering most of his face, he blended into the surroundings like dust in the wind.

But beneath the disguise was not a man named Edwin—only his form. It was Edith, now donning his appearance through her illusion spell, returning with a fortune in her spatial ring from the hunt.

She paused before the tall, dome-shaped building that stood like a gemstone amidst the merchant quarters—the Silvermane Auction House.

Without hesitation, she entered.

Inside, she was greeted by two female receptionists in red silk dresses. She leaned closer as she approached the counter and spoke calmly.

"I have goods to sell."

One receptionist raised her head, bored at first, but her eyes widened slightly when she saw the fist-sized red crystal in Edith's hand.

It was a Rank-5 Darkness elemental crystal.

"Please follow me, honored guest."

Minutes later, Edith sat in a private appraisal room as the staff brought long steel tables. One by one, she brought out corpses of Rank-4 beasts, then Rank-5s.

"R-Rank five magical beasts?" One of the appraisers muttered, slightly trembling as he checked a scarred Serpentfang Boa.

Then, she summoned the corpse of the One-Horned Saber Tiger.

The room fell into stunned silence.

Its enormous body took up most of the hall. Thick muscles, powerful paws, and the single curved horn on its head shimmered with faint golden runes—a Legendary Beast.

"…This is…" One of the appraisers stumbled back, his breath caught in his throat.

The manager, a sharp-eyed old man named Marceus, was called in immediately. He carefully examined the body before turning to her with a polite yet urgent smile.

"We would be honored to put this in today's auction, sir. The value of such a specimen is extraordinary, especially considering the medicinal use of its horn and heart."

She nodded.

"I expect proper handling," she said flatly.

"But of course. You shall be given a private VIP room as a guest participant. We'll also transfer the upfront payment for the other beasts immediately."

Within half an hour, Edith received the full payment: 92 Sacred Gold coins for the Rank-4 beasts, and 230 Sacred Gold coins for the Rank-5 beasts.

She kept the payment discreetly inside her spatial ring and entered the private auction room on the second floor.

The room was small but luxurious, with a sound-insulated window overlooking the main hall. A servant girl brought refreshments, then left. Edith sat with a still posture, watching the auction with indifference.

The auction began at 1 P.M. sharp.

Various artifacts and rare potions came and went—rings that allowed temporary invisibility, flame scrolls from the Southern Desert, and even mutated beast eggs.

But nothing interested her until the announcer's voice suddenly lifted with excitement.

"Our next item: a Legendary Artifact—the Veil of Silence Amulet! It can conceal one's presence for 10 minutes even from a Legendary Mystic. A perfect treasure for assassins, spies, or anyone who wishes to escape detection."

Gasps erupted in the crowd. The starting bid: 30 Sacred Gold coins.

"35!"

"40!"

"55!"

"60!"

The bids rose quickly. Members of churches, nobles from distant empires, and envoys from different kingdoms joined.

Edith tapped the speaking rune beside her seat.

"100 Sacred Gold," she said calmly.

Gasps filled the room.

Another voice countered.

"110!"

"120!"

"140!"

"150."

Edith didn't hesitate.

Silence returned. After ten seconds, the artifact was declared sold.

"To Guest Room 4—sold for 150 Sacred Gold coins!"

She leaned back quietly.

Minutes passed. Then came the next curious item.

"This, dear guests, is a paralysis potion. A single drop can incapacitate even a Legend Rank Mystic for one minute—provided you get close enough to administer it. The starting bidding price is 30 gold coins."

Some scoffed, others chuckled. The crowd showed little interest.

Edith, however, raised her hand again.

"70 Sacred Gold."

No one else bid.

"Sold!"

She smiled slightly behind her mask.

As the auction proceeded, the final highlight emerged.

A large crystal slab was wheeled into the center, revealing the massive body of the One-Horned Saber Tiger. Gasps once again filled the hall.

"This is a genuine Legendary Rank Magical Beast. The medicinal and alchemical value of its blood, horn, and flesh is immense. Starting bid: 200 Sacred Gold coins!"

"210!"

"220!"

"230!"

"240!"

"250!"

"260!"

Finally, a noble from the Veridian Empire claimed the tiger for 260 Sacred Gold coins.

A few more items passed, and a long black robe was presented.

"This robe has a unique feature: it adjusts itself to fit any wearer. But more importantly, it has a Rank-6 Spell called [Titan's Guard] embedded into it. Once activated, it summons the illusionary form of a Rank-6 Titan to defend the user for a short period!"

"Starting bid: 60 Sacred Gold."

"70."

"85."

"90."

"95."

"110," Edith offered.

"120."

She raised it again.

"130."

"Sold to Guest Room 4!"

By the end of the auction, she had spent nearly all her gold, but her haul was worth far more than the coins.

The moment the auction ended, Edith left her room and went to the reception hall.

There, she paid the remaining balance, received the Veil of Silence Amulet, the Paralysis Potion, and the Titan's Guard Robe, and finally collected her share of 260 Sacred Gold coins from the saber tiger sale, deducted by the auction's service fee.

She left the building as quietly as she had come.

The sun was setting.

…

31C, Groove Street – Nobles' Borough.

The clock tower struck 8 P.M. The noble district glowed gently beneath the moonlight.

Enchanted lanterns floated among trees, casting soft golden hues over the cobblestone walkways.

Inside a sprawling estate—three stories tall, with a well-trimmed garden and a silvery iron gate—Councilor Meledin Vargan stood on his bedroom balcony.

His back was straight. His posture relaxed. But his eyes… alert. He wore a simple grey robe. His blonde hair fluttered slightly in the wind, and the long scar on his left cheek shimmered under the dark red moonlight. He held a steaming cup of herbal water in one hand. His expression was unreadable.

Then—knock knock.

"Sir, I've brought the tea," a maid's voice called politely from the other side of the door.

Meledin didn't glance back.

"I didn't ask," he said flatly, the cup still in his hand.

Then he froze.

A breath caught in his throat.

Someone was inside. Not outside.

His body tensed as a ripple of water essence surged around him.

His eyes flicked toward the room.

A young man in a black hooded coat sat on the sofa near the bed, one leg crossed, casually flipping through the evening newspaper like it belonged to him.

His hair was chestnut brown. His features were sharp. He seemed relaxed, even bored.

But Meledin felt nothing from him. No footsteps. No wisdom power. No killing intent. Nothing.

It was like a shadow had come to life and taken human shape.

Meledin narrowed his eyes.

With a gesture, he released his Wisdom Power, intent on suppressing this intruder.

But a sudden pulse spread out from the young man's body. A ripple like a formless dome. His wisdom power shattered on contact, like a wave hitting steel.

Meledin's expression changed.

"…Who are you?" he asked coldly, slowly placing the cup on the railing.

The man didn't look up. He continued flipping pages, his voice calm.

"Don't be so tense, Councilor Meledin. If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't have sensed anything at all." His tone was relaxed, but every word struck like a needle—precise, sharp, deliberate.

Meledin's gaze narrowed. His mind raced at incredible speed.

The only ones capable of suppressing a Legend Rank's wisdom power without using divine artifacts were Demigods, Legendary Thief Class Mystics, or Ancient Mages.

'He is strong! He might be a peak rank Legendary Mystic!' His face turned stiff.