When the store owner invited Ryan, his first instinct was to run. He instinctively assumed that the shopkeeper had realized Ryan had discovered his secret and wanted to silence him.
However, Ryan quickly reconsidered. He wasn't alone, and if he acted rashly, he could put innocent people in danger. Besides, this store looked like it had been running for decades. Who knew what kind of traps or surveillance the owner had set up? Running might cause a direct confrontation, and Ryan didn't think he could outrun someone who ruled over a Saint-level territory.
So, instead of fleeing, Ryan forced a smile, extended his hand, and said, "Mr. Shopkeeper, I'm very interested in what's in your warehouse. Please, lead the way."
The two walked in silence past several shelves, weaving through rows of goods, before exiting through the back door of the store. After crossing the courtyard, the shopkeeper opened the warehouse door. There was no magic used to conceal the aura inside. The moment the door creaked open, Ryan could sense the presence of numerous valuable and rare items stored within.
Am I overthinking this? Ryan wondered. Maybe the owner really did just see potential in me and wants to guide the younger generation.
Just as he was contemplating the store owner's motives, a cold gust of wind blew from behind. Ryan instinctively rolled to the side, just in time to avoid a green wooden thorn—about as thick as a chopstick—laced with a faint medicinal smell. It brushed past his face with a menacing hiss.
Ryan's expression darkened. He raised his right hand and shouted:
"Four-Way Wind and Thunder!"
With the invocation of the spell, lightning burst out from Ryan in all directions, crackling like a storm centered on his body. But the attack struck nothing. The shopkeeper, who had stood in front of him moments ago, vanished into thin air like a soap bubble.
Phantom magic! Ryan realized something was seriously wrong. He quickly pulled a jade talisman from the space bag on his waist and crushed it.
"Wind and Thunder Protect Body!"
A burst of plasma exploded from Ryan's form, sending a surge of electric energy in all directions. He couldn't pinpoint where his opponent was hiding, and facing a wizard skilled in illusion magic, area-of-effect spells were his best option.
As the electric discharges raced across the courtyard, Ryan's life magic finally picked up the presence of the shopkeeper—hiding in a far corner. But the moment Ryan detected him, the shopkeeper realized he had been discovered.
With a flicker of movement, the shopkeeper's expression hardened, and he disappeared again, only to reappear a moment later—right inside the defensive lightning circle Ryan had cast.
It seemed the shopkeeper believed victory was within reach.
But Ryan was ready.
In one fluid motion, he drew the Clinway Tooth, a weapon he had prepared in advance, and drove it toward the shopkeeper's side.
Clinway's Tooth was no ordinary weapon. Forged in a magic-less world at the cost of many human lives, it contained an innate venom and terrifying penetrating power. Despite the shopkeeper's silver defensive shields activating three times in rapid succession, they were as effective as paper before the Clinway Tooth. The blade pierced through all layers of defense with ease.
The shopkeeper's confident smile vanished, replaced by a grimace of pain.
But he wasn't finished yet.
A battle-hardened veteran, the shopkeeper twisted his waist and just barely avoided a fatal blow. He reappeared at the warehouse entrance, clutching his side.
That moment had been dangerously close to death. Wizards are typically poor at close combat. Most protective spells are designed to counter long-range or magical attacks. A wizard caught off guard in close quarters is at a severe disadvantage.
In fact, during the height of the witch hunts—before modern magic defenses were developed—many wizards had been killed by peasants wielding nothing more than pitchforks. But today, with the evolution of teleportation and defense spells, it had become exponentially harder to kill a trained wizard in direct combat.
Still, not all wizards were equal.
The bumbling spellcasters of the British Ministry of Magic, for example, couldn't even master a proper Shield Charm. Peaceful times had bred weak wizards. The shopkeeper had clearly assumed Ryan was one of those naive novices.
Ryan's earlier use of a powerful thunder spell had misled the shopkeeper into thinking Ryan was a one-trick pony—adept only at flashy ranged magic and lacking in real battle experience. His youthful appearance only reinforced this assumption. After all, mastering diverse magical disciplines takes years of effort and training. No one expected someone Ryan's age to be proficient in both ranged and close combat.
Believing Ryan to be a fragile academic-type, the shopkeeper had confidently closed in for a finishing blow—without expecting Ryan to be armed with a forbidden magic weapon.
His carelessness cost him dearly.
Even though he avoided a fatal stab, the slash left a deep wound on his side. Black blood seeped between his fingers. The poison from Clinway's Tooth was already working—weakening him, draining his strength.
Ryan's resolve solidified. He could not afford mercy. The shopkeeper had used illusions, sneak attacks, and lethal traps. If Ryan had failed even once, it could have meant death for him and his companions. This wasn't just about self-defense anymore—it was a matter of survival.
Clinway's Tooth wasn't like the polished magical items of the Harry Potter world. Its chaotic and dark nature had worried Ryan when he first acquired it. So, he had spent several days researching a blend of life and nature magic to nullify the blade's side effects—just in case he ever wounded himself with it.
The shopkeeper, on the other hand, had no such preparation. He was now weakened and wounded, and with Ryan still actively pressing the attack, he had little time to analyze and resolve the poison.
A true top-tier wizard could've brute-forced a solution through overwhelming magic, but this man was clearly not among the elite.
Ryan used the moment to reposition and cast multiple offensive spells. The shopkeeper, bleeding and panicked, diverted his focus to defending himself. As a result, his control over the poison weakened further. His movements slowed, his stance faltered. He was becoming unsteady.
Sensing the opportunity to end the battle, Ryan reached for the most powerful weapon in his arsenal—a jade talisman hidden in his secret stash. It was inscribed with a powerful lightning summoning spell, infused with merit energy—the righteous force that amplified divine or justice-aligned spells. This was the ultimate strike Ryan had prepared as a last resort.
Just as he raised the talisman and prepared to activate it, a familiar voice echoed across the courtyard:
"Stop! We are one family! This is just a misunderstanding!"
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