A tall, muscular young man, carrying a large travel bag, trotted over to Kelly and helped her to her feet.
"Alan!"
Kelly excitedly threw herself into her brother's arms.
The long-awaited siblings embraced each other.
Just then, a soaked rat, ruining the mood, crawled up.
"Pah!"
The old man spat out the salty water in his mouth and glared at Allen with red eyes.
"You little bastard! How dare you hug my woman? Are you tired of living?!"
Allen glanced back at him, frowning slightly.
"I just got home today and I'm in a good mood. I don't want to kill anyone in front of my sister. Don't make a fuss and get out of my sight right now," Allen said coldly.
"Huh?! You're young, but you're so arrogant!"
The old man chuckled in anger.
"Kid! You probably don't know the consequences of offending me."
"I'm a sorcerer!"
"What's your bloodline? What's your cultivation?" Allen asked casually.
The old man was stunned and stammered, "Kobold blood... uh, I'm a dragon-veined sorcerer! Noble red dragon bloodline!"
"As for my cultivation level... hehe, don't treat me like an apprentice. I'm not afraid of scaring you. I've already advanced to the first level!"
"That old guy seems quite powerful!" Kelly nervously tugged at her brother's sleeve. "Let's not mess with him. Let's go!"
"An early first-level kobold-blooded sorcerer, huh?" Allen scoffed. "Powerful what? Just plain boring."
"Boy, you're so arrogant!"
"Just wait and see. You're dead!"
The old man was furious, his eyes gleaming with rage.
"Wait until you're roasted like a suckling pig, hehehe... I'll take good care of your sister for you."
As he spoke, he extended his palms forward.
His thumbs pressed together, his fingers spread out in a fan shape.
Just as he was about to cast the first-level spell "Burning Hands," his vision suddenly blurred, and Alan vanished into thin air!
"Sorry, it's you who's about to die!"
A cold voice came from behind.
Before the warlock could turn around, Alan's explosive palm slash sent him flying.
With a splash, he fell into the sea again.
Crimson ripples covered the water.
This time, he couldn't climb out.
Alan's left palm had just swung, ejecting a bone spur.
Infusing his body with enough digestive fluid to decompose the corpse.
The old man and his two apprentices lay groaning on the ground.
The old man had already been killed. Leaving the younger ones behind would also be a nuisance!
Alan stepped forward, grabbed the two apprentices, and twisted their necks one by one.
Bone spurs quietly popped out from his palms, piercing the skin and injecting digestive fluid.
One in each hand, he tossed the two bodies into the sea.
In less than two minutes, the two apprentices and their teacher would have decomposed and merged into nature's ecological cycle.
Kelly watched her brother's brutal killing from the side, unable to help but worry about retaliation.
Alan saw the worry in his sister's eyes.
He smiled calmly.
"If that wretched old man had some impressive background, he wouldn't be so old and still only at the early stage of the First Stage."
"Just kill him, don't worry about it."
"But..." Kelly looked around the bustling dock. "There are so many people watching... Killing someone in public, wouldn't that be a good idea if it got out?"
Alan sighed and took his sister's hand.
"Kelly, so many people were watching you get bullied on the dock. Why didn't anyone dare to stand up for you?"
"It's not their fault," Kelly said reasonably. "After all, it was a sorcerer who teased me! Who would dare mess with an ordinary person?"
"It's good that you know ordinary people can't afford to mess with sorcerers," Alan said calmly.
"Your brother is also a sorcerer."
"Do you think anyone on the dock would feel uncomfortable and meddle in my affairs?"
Kelly was stunned and silent.
The world of sorcerers has always been cruel!
The lower classes possess their own survival wisdom.
Know who rules and who is ruled.
If you don't join the ruling class, you'll be ruled.
Why would ordinary people get involved in the fights between sorcerers?
...
After a year and a half, Eren returned to his hometown.
He had dinner with his parents and sister, reminiscing about his studies abroad.
The next day, he visited Aunt Sora and Instructor Carter at school, and also caught up with Robin and other old classmates.
After visiting relatives and friends, Eren grew bored.
Since he had nothing else to do, he used the Evil God Statue to improve the purity of his sister's beastly bloodline, striving to help her realize her dream of becoming a sorcerer as soon as possible.
Beast bloodlines are of a higher quality than ogre bloodlines, and they lack the ogre's penchant for promiscuity and excessive eating, precisely the two things Kelly detests!
So, compared to the ogre bloodline, Kelly is more eager to awaken the beast bloodline.
Alan is also eager to see which beast bloodline his sister will awaken.
Judging from the influence of bloodline on personality, it's either a tigress or a lion...
After staying at home for over a month, Allen received a letter from Felin.
Shortly after leaving the Warlock Academy, Felin also requested leave to visit his family.
He wrote this letter to Allen primarily to invite his old friend to his home for a get-together.
Another purpose was to ask Allen to assist him in the Adult Trial, helping him hunt wild griffins in the mountains.
The Griffin family periodically hunts wild griffins to strengthen the warlock bloodline of their members.
Griffins can also be tamed into combat beasts and aerial vehicles.
Griffin eggs, hatched and raised artificially, are more human-friendly and easier to tame.
The prosperity of the entire Griffin family is essentially built on the griffin industry.
Griffins are the family's most valuable resource and a spiritual totem symbolizing their bloodline.
Children of the family with exceptional talent, those who receive special training, must participate in a trial before turning sixteen.
They must bring with them only one assistant of the same age and ascend to the highest peaks where griffins inhabit.
They must personally hunt at least one adult griffin, proving their adulthood.
Felin's birthday is three months older than Allen's.
In fact, he's only fifteen.
But he's already eager to prove himself.
To ensure a successful hunt, Felin needed a trustworthy and formidable assistant.
He thought of his friend Allen from the Warlock Academy.
To persuade Allen to visit him, Felin not only promised him a generous reward of 50 magic stones, but also flattered him in his letter.
"Alan! Griffin meat is delicious! Don't you want to try it?"
Gulp!
Allen couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
"Griffin meat... maybe it's a special ingredient!"
The thought of it made him tempted!
Before heading out to visit his friend, Allen had to make some preparations.
He had offended a few people at the Warlock Academy.
Especially, the natural warlocks of Han Ning's school.
And the Beast Cultists who were tracking down the Plague Statue—they had to be on guard!
On this long journey, Alan didn't intend to appear in his true form.
Using the first-level magic of "Disguise," one can alter one's height, weight, and facial features within certain limits.
Even more amazingly, even one's clothing can change in sync with one's body shape.
The style and color of clothing can be adjusted at will.
Alan's current height is 1.96 meters and he weighs 190 kilograms.
After the disguise, his height becomes 1.66 meters and his weight is 100 kilograms.
Of course, these changes are merely illusions.
He looked in the mirror.
The reflection revealed a thin, handsome young man...
Even he felt unfamiliar.
After saying goodbye to his family, Alan packed his bags once again and set off on his journey.
He sailed across the ocean.
The voyage was smooth sailing.
Two weeks later, Allen, carrying his backpack, boarded the Griffin Island Ferry Terminal.