Chapter2-Marty Bloodline

"Dong—"

The magic clock of Ilan Royal Academy rang, its chimes echoing throughout the academy.

Joad immediately perked up, grabbing the large burlap sack beside him and slinging it over his shoulder.

"My dear brother, I have some matters to attend to. I'll take my leave first—we'll chat later!"

With these hurried words, he turned and bolted toward the College of Potion without looking back, his speed rivaling that of the long-legged magic rabbits of Malan Principality!

Harvey stood there in a daze, watching Joad's rapidly disappearing figure, momentarily unable to process what had just happened.

"Bachelor Geoffrey, what… is going on?"

Bachelor Geoffrey stroked his beard and explained helplessly.

"That chime should be Professor Mufasa from the College of Potion calling… Oh—right! Today is the day the College of Potion distributes potions. Joad must be going to claim his share…"

Harvey recalled the enormous burlap sack Joad had carried off and instantly fell silent.

Geoffrey seemed to notice Harvey's concern and spoke softly in an attempt to reassure him.

"Sir Harvey, there's no need to be overly anxious. Joad… he… sigh, actually, being anxious won't help anyway."

He paused for a moment, as if suddenly recalling something, then added.

"Oh, by the way, Sir Harvey, the Royal Academy hasn't been very safe recently. It's best to avoid walking alone at night. There's a guy calling himself Rogue Thief Kid, who has been harassing students and professors. Not long ago, he even targeted the grand scholar…"

After saying this, Bachelor Geoffrey noticed that the sky was beginning to darken. His expression changed slightly, and he quickly excused himself.

Harvey paid no attention to any so-called Rogue Thief Kid. Right now, his mind was entirely occupied with thoughts of how to steer his younger brother Joad back onto the right path.

…

Before long, Joad emerged, looking immensely satisfied, carrying a sack stuffed full of potions.

Harvey's face immediately turned grim.

Magic potions were difficult to refine, and according to the College of Potion's regulations, each student was only entitled to one or two bottles at most.

Yet inside Joad's sack…

Harvey took a rough glance—there must have been at least a thousand bottles!

Just as he was about to reprimand Joad, a witch riding a broomstick hurriedly flew over.

Harvey immediately recognized her—it was Elsa, an elite student of the Royal Academy. He performed a proper knight's salute.

"Miss Elsa, long time no see!"

Joad, however, greeted her casually, waving a hand.

"Yo, Senior Elsa, you're looking good today. Your figure is getting more and more alluring."

Rather than being offended, Elsa deliberately puffed out her chest, accentuating her exaggerated curves.

After throwing him a flirtatious glance, she finally noticed Harvey standing beside them.

"Harvey? When did you get back?"

"Just today."

Harvey hesitated for a moment before proactively asking.

"Miss Elsa, are you looking for Leit?"

"I'm not looking for Leit—I'm looking for Joad."

Elsa shook her head and gazed at Joad with a heated look, licking her lips.

"For Joad?"

Harvey was even more confused.

"What could Joad possibly help you with?"

"There's an issue with my alchemy, and I need his help."

"Alchemy?"

Harvey's eyes widened. He had never known that Joad was knowledgeable in alchemy.

Moreover, Elsa was a renowned elite student—why would she seek advice from an ordinary student?

But before Harvey could question further, Elsa had already used magic to pull Joad onto her broomstick.

"Joad, hold on tight!"

Joad instinctively wrapped his arms around Elsa's waist, burying his face in her chestnut curls, inhaling her familiar fragrance.

At the same time, the broomstick soared into the sky, vanishing into the night.

An hour later, Elsa returned to the Royal Academy, her face glowing with satisfaction.

"Miss Elsa, did you resolve your alchemy issue that quickly?"

Harvey asked in surprise.

"Yes."

"…It was my brother Joad who solved it?"

Harvey still found it hard to believe.

"That's right."

Elsa affirmed without hesitation. Then, after thinking for a moment, she advised.

"Sir Harvey, I suggest you don't listen to all those rumors in the academy—Joad is actually a very capable person."

Harvey grew even more perplexed and couldn't help but say.

"Looks like I'll need to have a serious talk with him."

Elsa, however, shook her head, her expression serious.

"Another time. Joad is meditating."

"Meditating?"

Harvey's expression softened slightly.

At least his brother still knew the importance of meditation. Finally, he was doing something proper—thank goodness!

But at that moment, a whirlwind of movement rushed toward the Goddess of Magic statue.

With a plop, Joad plopped himself onto the "jade feet" of the Goddess of Magic, resting his head against her slender legs and closing his eyes.

Harvey was utterly petrified.

Elsa had only just returned—barely enough time for a conversation—and Joad had already finished meditating?

Elsa, however, looked delighted, whispering to herself in excitement.

"So Joad likes legs… Noted."

Harvey was completely dumbfounded, unable to make sense of the situation.

…

At the base of the Goddess of Magic statue,

Joad's face twisted in pain.

He was drenched in sweat, as if he had just been fished out of the water.

At that moment, specks of starlight radiated from the statue of the Goddess of Magic, falling gently upon Joad.

A look of relief crossed Joad's face, but soon after, he gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath.

"Damn it, what kind of garbage Marty Bloodline is this? It's completely busted!"

"Every time I rank up, it's this painful. This damned system is inhuman!"

He sighed helplessly, looking deeply frustrated.

In his previous life, he had been a gaming addict.

After gaming himself to death, he transmigrated to Ilan Principality and awakened a system.

At first, he thought he was about to become the protagonist of a novel, sweeping through the world and having countless beauties throw themselves at him.

But the moment his system activated, it immediately issued a warning—detecting that this world's magical energy was too dense, the system had overloaded and was now forcibly modifying his bloodline into the Marty Bloodline.

It only managed to alter 42% before the system exploded…

Joad had been dumbfounded.

He immediately realized that this world was terrifyingly dangerous—it had literally overloaded his system!

For the sake of survival, he chose to lie low and develop in secret.

Because the Marty Bloodline wasn't fully modified, the impure bloodline came with severe side effects.

Apart from enduring extreme pain every time he ranked up,

Joad also required several times more magical energy than other mages to rank up, and the required amount kept increasing!

Of course, the Marty Bloodline had its advantages.

The biggest benefit was that Joad could directly absorb mana from mana stones.

Moreover, the magical energy stored in his body was dozens of times greater than that of mages of the same rank.

By his calculations, Joad had awakened his magical talent for six years now.

The ranking system for mages was divided into Apprentice Mage, Full-Fledged Mage, Elite Mage, Archmage, and Grand Archmage.

Each rank was further divided into Beginner, Mid, and Advanced levels.

Joad was currently at Mid Elite Mage.

Thinking of this, he raised his gaze toward the administrative building of the Royal Academy, where the Headmaster's office was located.

"That old man Headmaster slacked off after reaching Mid Elite Mage. I wonder if I can beat him now…"

Joad muttered to himself, a gleam flashing in his eyes!

He swiftly got up from the ground and changed into a set of nightwear.

Without even needing to chant a spell, he activated Flight Magic directly, soaring into the sky!