Collecting Badges

"Wh-Who...?" -Elliot stuttered, and the chubby blonde acted confused.

"Who am I? I'm just a fellow acolyte who needs your badges. But please, do respond to my earlier question." -The Sage Gotham's acolytes looked at each other, with unsure and afraid expressions.

"You must be delusional, punk. There are thirty of us and just one of you, and you've nowhere to run. Why don't you give us the Wolf Whisker Flower instead? We might even let you go." -The young level 2 acolyte said with an arrogant smirk.

The fat blonde instantly vanished from his position and reappeared right in front of the Sage Gotham's acolyte. His mystical dagger pierced through the acolyte's eye, but it did not go all the way, meaning the lad was only on the stone floor incapacitated.

"I guess that's the first..." -Leylin grabbed the pierced eye in his dagger and played with it between his fingers. Then he threw it at a random guy, distracting him.

Everyone shivered in fear at the sight of one of their best fighters crying on the ground, twitching around with his hands on his empty and bloodied eye socket. The chubby acolyte finished the job when he kicked the head of the youngster like it was a football, causing it to rip away from the main body. The skull was crushed, and the bits of shattered bone even managed to injure a few acolytes.

The lads did not have any chance to react when Leylin had already disappeared again. This time, he attacked right afterward.

A female acolyte was instantly cut in half, as a nearby male acolyte was burned right through by a spray of acid. His fizzling bones fell down on the still-breathing upper half of the girl just in time to make her suffer in her last moments in this world.

Then, Leylin appeared behind a large male acolyte and used his bare hands to pry his chest open, taking his badge along with his beating heart. Crushing the heart, he grasped the metal badge and smirked at the remaining acolytes.

After launching a series of fog potions, he vanished in the mist. His prey was only able to begin incantations for Rank 0 spells, but they couldn't aim as he was not seen anywhere.

"Shit. Shit, shit! Where is he?!" -Elliot yelled as he frantically looked around the ruins. He constantly adjusted the direction of his sigils, but he did not release his magic for fear of hitting an ally.

"How the hell are we supposed to know?! You're the tracker, Elliot!" -One girl screamed a response with a half-broken voice.

Their banter was interrupted when a bunch of viscera rained down upon them. A few heads and pieces of organs rolled over to them from the shadows, as a mysterious laugh filled the ruins.

They stood in shock, as the image of the chubby blonde acolyte fiddling with a pair of bloody badges was ingrained into their feeble minds.

"Ah, this is easier than killing babies. You really put your academies to shame. Now, I better finish this before someone else hears your cries for your mothers." -The chubby blonde mocked, as he put the badges inside his robes, and took out a red vial.

"WAIT! PLEASE!" -A girl pleaded, but she was met with a combat elixir to the face.

A violent explosion sounded, and the bright yellow tongue of the flames spread in all directions, burning the nearby ground to scorch dark.

In the middle of the explosion, at this moment, there was a pit that was 1 meter deep and several meters wide.

Dust and mud flew up, and the surrounding earth had black smears of blood, broken limbs, and internal organs strewn across which had lost most of their original appearance. After costing Leylin some effort, he finally managed to rummage through the puddles of his victims and loot a few badges.

'Not bad. Wish I had the opportunity to feed on their souls though. Oh well.' -Leylin was rather satisfied with his battle results. This was one of his few plans: using the Shapeshifting spell to pass off as a level 1 acolyte, baiting and luring enemy acolytes into a trap.

With the detection of Aralis, several times Leylin's hunt was flawless and did not suffer from any interference. He had repeated the process thrice already.

Leylin kept the badges well. He had to collect enough badges before the enemy united as a whole, and then hide until the battle was over. That way he would not be at any risk and simply enjoy as his team was annihilated.

For this goal, Leylin avoided using his own Spiritual Force and Mana Energy. Instead, he relied on potions, scrolls, and his Grand Knight skills to do battle, preserving his condition to the fullest. If he were to be cornered, he would unleash his full abilities minus the Mankestre Regeneration and Dark Absorption.

After cleaning up the area of any valuable loot, Leylin hurriedly left the place.

Not long later, a male and female acolyte appeared in the vicinity.

Darting at the obvious traces of an explosion, and the bits and remains of the Sage Gotham's uniforms, the female acolyte's face darkened.

"I want to kill him! Then hang his head on my horse carriage for 100 days!" -The female acolyte clenched her teeth.

"You will have this chance very soon... We are getting closer and closer to this conniving acolyte." -Silver-Claw Saurun half knelt on the ground, and picked up a stalk of grass with sludge on it, before placing it into his mouth.

"However, I admire his courage. He actually dares to obstruct our team."

"Enough of the nonsense! Have you found him?" -The female acolyte asked.

"Over there!" -Saurun chewed on the blade of grass and closed his eyes for a moment. He then pointed in a direction and the both of them immediately headed in that direction.

|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|

In a dense forest, on a withered tree with three branches sat a grey-robed figure. His stature was rather short, as he looked up at the sky.

"Dusk is coming..." -Leylin muttered.

In the secret plane, there was neither the sun nor the moon, and not even any stars. However, the peculiar thing was that the bright sky would be strewn with white rays of light. At night, these rays of light would disappear, which distinguished between morning and night.

It seems like there was a layer of a barrier that blocked the sun and moon at the same time.

'After a whole day of slaying meatbags, I have received this much.' -Leylin counted the contribution points he had gotten.

In his hands rested 57 badges. Amongst these, 51 of them were from level 2 acolytes, and only 6 were from level 3 acolytes.

It was extremely easy to distinguish between a level 2 acolyte and a level 3 acolyte due to the shape of their badges.

'According to the Bloodbath rules, an enemy level 2 acolyte is worth 3 contribution points while a level 3 acolyte is worth 10 contribution points. Any famous acolytes are separately categorized. Right now, I have enough points to get the Grine Water. That's progress right there.' -Leylin's face was rather solemn.

Although Leylin had gotten 213 contribution points in a day, it was because the enemy acolytes were scattered across the secret plane and had not yet gathered their forces.

After a day and night, the acolytes in the other two factions would have definitely assembled. Once forming a large army, they would surround the acolytes of Abyssal Bone Forest Academy.

Under those circumstances, Leylin would have a hard time not using his full abilities, let alone obtaining more badges from them.

During the ordeal of the war previously, Abyssal Bone Forest Academy's casualties were extremely disastrous. They simply did not have time to nurture a new batch of elite forces to go against the opposing two factions.

Moreover, if one walks the dark path, one often will meet a ghost someday. Leylin did not believe that his simple traps could always work against an organized army. After all, there was strength in numbers.

'Be that as it may, even if I have to massacre the whole of the Whitewoods and Sage Gotham's armies by my lonesome self, I will do it. Nothing will stand in my way of getting more power. Not even keeping the secrecy of my true self.' -Leylin's expression was determined. He was not someone to discard his ambitions easily.

Becoming the absolute King in the Magus World was only the first step. He wanted everything. To rule over creation itself. To be the God that stands above all.

'Aralis, maintain your detection area. Report immediately if there are any problems.'

[Roger.]

After issuing the A.I. the role of a sentry, he dug a hole in the ground behind the tree for disguise purposes, before sleeping inside the hollow of the tree.

The acolytes of the 3 academies had to stay inside the secret plane for 3 days and 2 nights. Although physical weariness can be overcome by various potions and methods, the mental fortitude was not that simple to replenish.

Thankfully, Leylin had Aralis and could let her act as a sentry. It would do a great job and allow him to focus on other things, like resting or planning ahead of the enemy.

Darkness blanketed the trees. From time to time there were the cries of little worms.

In the hollow of the tree, Leylin shut his eyes. First, he meditated, before falling into a deep slumber.

This was not a silent night. In the secret plane, various battles unfolded. Many colorful and enrapturing Rank 0 spells were cast by the acolytes. Ambushes, reverse traps, beauty traps, and shrewd plotting were endless. Many young acolytes were stolen of their lives and badges in this secret plane.

Of course, all these had nothing to do with Leylin. If anything, their pained cries lulled him to a comfortable sleep.

On the second day, when the sky was filled with radiant light, the hollow of a tree shook, and a huge hole appeared. From within it, Leylin walked out.

The power of nature was immense. After a night, many traces of blood diminished, and the various plants and animal tracks covered a huge amount of the intense battle marks left on the ground.

Leylin casually stretched and looked at the hollow of the large tree.

Leylin remembered clearly that he only made this opening last night. However, it was gradually mending back into a whole. Leylin even discovered a few green-colored sprouts nearby the opening.

'It seems like the flora and fauna in this magical plane have vitality much higher than the physical world.'

Leylin stroked his chin and stretched his hand to pick a budding sprout with morning dew on it. 'Aralis, scan the composition and record.'

[Comparing to the plant database. An abnormality was found. Composition recorded.]

The A.I.'s voice intoned. In front of Leylin was a green and light blue image overlapping. Moreover, in the center of the image was a red area that seemed like an octopus that was spreading its tentacles.

'Interesting. Who knows if there'll be a use for that in the future?' -Leylin dusted himself off and then began to pick a few more plants and herbs for recording purposes.

[Warning, Doctor! There is extremely strong mana radiation coming from 523 m in the Southeast. Primarily determined as acolytes using Rank 0 spells.]

Just when Leylin was picking out a green leaf with red veins, the alert from the A.I. assistant sounded.

Leylin's eyes flashed with greed and bloodthirst.

Sage Gotham's Hut and Whitewoods Castle were allies. Their acolytes wouldn't fight with the other, so if there was any battle, it definitely involved Abyssal Bone Forest Academy acolytes.

'Time to activate my trump card, just as a backup plan. I shall awaken the pendant on the way there.' Leylin patted his chest. Under his black armor hidden by the grey acolyte robes, a solid pendant lay dormant.

Leylin whipped his grey robes up and concealed himself as he headed towards where the battle was.

As he got closer, Leylin could feel the intensity of the radiation from the spells. This degree could only be produced by a level 3 acolyte. Moreover, it belonged to one of the stronger acolytes.

Towards the enemy level 3 acolyte which had a chance of advancing into a Magus before 20, Abyssal Bone Forest Academy opened a sky-high reward for it. They bumped the value up from 10 to 100 contribution points.

This is to say, if Leylin managed to pull this feat off, not only would it boost his point count towards the Advancement Grimoire, he might even be able to exchange for a Rank 1 spell model.

Although the bounties of those popular level 3 acolytes were high, there were always professors behind them. Moreover, their respective professors would have definitely spent countless efforts on them.

Deciding to go back on his promise not to draw attention to himself, Leylin kept up his speed, not hesitating. He knew of the potential risks it entailed to cash in on these bounties. Alas, he did not care. Right now he just wanted to reap those juicy benefits.

He could definitely ascertain that the Magi have laid spells on their apprentices. The moment he kills one of them, his appearance and other information would be known by the Magus.

In front of an official Magus, the Shapeshifting spell was obsolete. Even if Chairman Siley protected Leylin after the Bloodbath, he did not want to be drawing all any unwanted attention to him and even be marked by an official Magus.

All in all, the risk was too great, yet the benefits were also enticing. Plus, Leylin was only looking for an excuse to fight someone worthy of his skill. Leylin would deal with the wrath of those geniuses and their teachers if need be. He would face them, for he was not a weak pushover, but Leylin Farlier.

Thus, he dashed across the forest at amazing speed.

But suddenly, a male voice sounded...

"Haha! Jayden! It is high time to exact my revenge on you!"

'Jayden?' Leylin's footsteps halted and turned back.

'I can't simply ignore this idiot's death. I need to see him perish laying on his own piss and blood. This is one of those small joys in life I cannot pass on.'

The location of the battle was in the middle of some trees. And the trees right now have already been destroyed, showing a large clearing.

Leylin stealthily hid to watch the battle. He crossed his arms and relaxed against a rock as he enjoyed the show.

In the middle of the clearing, Jayden who wore a hunter's attire was half kneeling on the ground. There were even vines coiling around him, acting as armor.

In front of him, a black-robed, male figure let out a burst of maniacal laughter.