Chapter 36: The Price of Arrogance
The man did not respond immediately. His gaze was fixed downward, his facial expression unreadable. He seemed to be reflecting intensely.
Lian and Seline exchanged a faint smile. They had won the fight against the man. It had been quite difficult, but they were two against one.
Just as Lian opened his mouth to say something, a deafening laugh echoed across the desert.
The man had begun to laugh maniacally. "And to think I only wanted to test your strength a little," he said while continuing to laugh. "Yet you are treating me like an idiot who does not know the world!"
Lian and Seline looked at each other with concern as the man’s laughter stopped abruptly.
"You have not understood a single thing." He took a step forward, his eyes locked on the boy’s, as he sheathed his massive sword. "It does not matter if I use an artifact or not, you two are weak. Your spells can barely leave a scratch on my body."
The man continued to advance, running a hand through his long black hair. "I hate the arrogance of Mages," he muttered as he stared at Lian, only to dash with great speed toward Seline like a predator closing in on its prey.
"Watch out!" Lian did not have time to shout before the man threw a punch at the girl’s stomach.
Seline had tried to dodge, but the man’s speed had caught her off guard.
A gush of blood escaped her lips as the force of the punch hurled her against the body of a dead worm, stopping her flight.
"Do you understand now why you must show respect? I have faced far more battles than you two, I have looked death in the face countless times." His eyes grew sharper as his smile became slightly more twisted, revealing a glint of battle-hardened cruelty.