Chapter 49

At this moment, Marin's face was cold, and since her birth, she had never been treated like this. As a rare magical talent in her family, whether it was her parents, relatives, or even the teachers at the magic academy, they had always treated her with respect. She was very proud and confident, unlike those useless people who, after growing up in a life of luxury, became arrogant and looked down on everything. She always remembered her family's teachings and never let up in the slightest.

Regarding Rod's request, Marin thought the first one, although a bit difficult, was still acceptable. However, the second request was something Marin could not accept at all!

Marin was very confident in her strength. She had received the most formal magical education since the age of six, and it had been ten years. Now, she had lived up to everyone's expectations by breaking through the Outer Ring and entering the Middle Ring. Although she had not made much progress since entering the Middle Ring, she was not worried. As her mentor said, what she lacked was not knowledge but practical combat experience. In terms of understanding magic, she was already on par with her mentor.

Now, Rod's words were a naked denial of her ten years of effort!

This was something Marin could not accept no matter what.

"Mr. Rod, I can understand the first condition, but I cannot accept the second one!"

Marin raised her head proudly, looking straight at Rod without wavering. Sensing her gaze, Rod raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

On the contrary, the old man Hank was praying in his heart, "Let it fall through, let it fall through, if it falls through, everything will be fine..."

"Why?"

"Because you don't understand my strength!"

Marin said this with righteous indignation. It was their first meeting, and he couldn't possibly see her power. She had also heard from old Hank that this young man was a swordsman, not a mage. If he were a mage, it would be fine to give some pointers out of courtesy. But a swordsman directing a mage in battle? Did he really understand the situation?

Marin gritted her teeth. She really wanted to jump up and scold Rod, but her good upbringing made her calm down. After all, the other party didn't show any signs of anger, and if she lost her composure, it would not be good for the reputation of the Senia family. As a member of the family, her every word and action was not just about herself.

In response to Marin's rebuttal, Rod stood up. This action made old Hank's heart leap with joy, thinking that this stubborn little girl had finally had enough and was about to kick him out. Thank goodness, little girl, you should scold him harshly. If you can make this young lady so angry that she leaves Deepstone City and goes home, that would be perfect... Thinking of this, old Hank also stood up, intending to play the peacemaker before the two started arguing— but Rod's next words almost made old Hank spit blood.

"Then, let's try it out."

"No problem!"

Marin was straightforward. As soon as she heard this, she stood up and nodded in agreement. No one noticed that old Hank's face had turned from black to purple, and then back to black, a kaleidoscope of colors.

At this moment, a voice came from the stairs.

"Mr. Rod, breakfast is ready. What are you doing..."

Liz walked down the stairs, curiously looking at the two people in the hall. She glanced at old Hank in surprise and then instinctively moved her gaze to Marin. The moment she saw her, Liz suddenly stopped, standing there in a daze.

"Are you... Marin?"

"Liz!"

Marin turned to the sound and, upon seeing Liz standing by the stairs, her previously cold and serious face immediately thawed, breaking into a sunny smile.

"Liz! Is it really you? I never thought I would see you here! Where have you been all these years? I've been looking for you, but I couldn't find you. How did you end up in Deepstone City? Are you okay?"

The previously composed young lady finally showed her natural lively and cheerful side. Marin ran to Liz's side, excitedly holding her hands and shaking them. In response to Marin's enthusiasm, Liz looked somewhat awkward, even stealing a few glances at Rod, as if she was worried about something.

They know each other?

Seeing this scene, Rod was somewhat surprised. To be honest, although he himself was mysterious, Liz also had many unknown factors. Her half-angel bloodline and the knowledge that only nobles would understand. Now, she even knew Marin Senia?

From the way this young lady treated people, Liz was not a servant or a subordinate; otherwise, Marin would not be so enthusiastic.

What is her identity?

"I'm fine, Marin."

Noticing Rod's playful gaze, Liz felt a bit flustered. She quickly let go of her hands and deliberately changed the subject.

"Why did you come here? Weren't you in Gold City..."

"I've already entered the Middle Ring. My mentor sent me out to travel and gain more combat experience. I heard they needed people here yesterday, so I came to see if I had a chance... What about you, Liz? Why are you here?"

"I... I've been here since then." Liz's voice was very soft, as if she was afraid Rod would hear, but she quickly raised her head, looking at Marin with concern.

"Are you really determined to join the mercenary group? Marin, this isn't a game. Our mission is very dangerous..."

"I've made up my mind. I must join."

At this point, Marin had already forgotten the unpleasantness with Rod. In her view, she had finally met her old friend again and couldn't let her go. But at this moment, Rod poured cold water on the excited young lady.

"Don't decide so quickly, Miss Marin. I think you haven't passed my test yet."

Hearing Rod's words, Marin's face darkened, and she returned to her previous serious and proud demeanor, turning to look at Rod.

"Of course, I won't back down. I also want to see your strength."

"No problem."

Rod was never a procrastinator, and Marin was clearly decisive. After reaching an agreement, they didn't waste any words and quickly went to the garden outside—by this time, Liz still didn't understand what was happening.

"I won't hold back."

Taking off her cloak, Marin said quietly. At this moment, she had returned to being the Marin of the Senia family, not the cheerful and lively girl in front of Liz.

A luxurious purple robe accentuated the young lady's figure, with patterns on the collar and cuffs symbolizing the family's glory. In her hand, she held a short staff embedded with a ruby, looking serious and focused. Marin stood quietly on the ground not far from Rod, her eyes lowered, looking at the ground.

Elemental Mage, Level 7 of the Middle Ring, equivalent to a player level of 15...

Rod only needed a glance to see through Marin's equipment and understand her capabilities. The ruby indicated fire attributes, and the robe had several protective arrays, suggesting that the wearer had completely abandoned active defense. From this and his first impression of the young lady, Rod had a good idea of her combat style.

As the former leader of the first guild, Rod had fought many battles and was very familiar with this aspect. Moreover, compared to the casual equipment combinations of players, NPCs had very fixed equipment combinations. For Rod, the young lady in front of him was almost completely transparent.

However, unlike Rod's confidence, Marin felt a bit at a loss.

Because the Rod standing in front of her made no move. He didn't draw his sword or take any stance; he just stood there calmly, as if he wasn't in a battle but waiting for someone.

This made Marin a bit hesitant. She had fought before, but such a casual battle... However, as a young lady, although she wasn't sure what Rod was up to, she quickly changed her mind and decided not to think about it. No matter what tricks the other party had, as long as she fought according to her own plan, she would definitely win!

With this in mind, Marin made up her mind.

"Migcl!" (Flame)

With a high-pitched chant, the young lady took a half-step forward and raised her staff. A bright, scorching flame shot out, flying straight at Rod. The air around them heated up, and even the ground began to glow with fire. The weeds ignited and turned to ash in an instant, as if the process of burning was completely ignored.

The raging flames instantly engulfed Rod's figure, causing the two onlookers to exclaim in surprise. Unlike them, Marin's heart sank. She could clearly feel that she had missed her target! She had failed!

But a genius is a genius.

The moment she realized something was wrong, Marin immediately tightened her grip on her staff and slammed it on the ground.

"Jir!" (Storm)

A fierce whirlwind quickly spread from the young lady's feet, sharp air condensing into wind blades, making a slight sound. Not only that, but in the violent whirlwind, ice particles occasionally appeared, adding a cold chill.

A daughter is a daughter.

Watching Marin's performance, Rod couldn't help but shake his head in sigh. In the game, mages were the strongest class, and now, in reality, they were still so powerful. Although Marin was only five levels higher than Rod, the damage she was dealing—two Rods couldn't match it.

There was a saying among players: a mage in a PK doesn't even need to see where the enemy is. As long as he uses all his skills, even if he dies, he can at least take one down with him.

This shows how strong and terrifying mages are.

However, for Rod, although Marin performed excellently, she was not invincible. The most obvious thing was that she didn't know what she was doing. In fact, while Marin was attacking, Rod had already used Shadow Flash to move to her blind spot behind her, quietly lurking there. Marin's first reaction was quick; she quickly abandoned her attack and used Storm Guard to avoid being ambushed. However, if she couldn't quickly find the source of the threat, passive defense would only have the opposite effect.

Rod's right hand flipped, and then he suddenly thrust forward.

C

The novel is provided by ...