From Alchemy Apprentice to All-Powerful God King

After leaving the jade gambling site, Matthew did not head home, but instead hurried towards the guild's location.

As soon as he stepped out the door, he noticed that several people were following him.

"Hehe, that's a classic plot."

No matter how many turns he made or which direction he went, the other person always followed behind him.

The distance, neither too close nor too far, is a bit too ambiguous...

It was obvious that these people had been eyeing him at the jade gambling site, and they were after the dead exploding bug.

However, Matthew chose routes with a lot of people, making it difficult for the other party to make a move.

As he entered the guild, the figure following him disappeared.

"Matthew? Why are you back again?"

Inside the alchemy workshop, some apprentices who were just about to leave were somewhat surprised to see Matthew return.

After becoming an alchemist, you no longer need to stay in the alchemy workshop to complete your mentor's assignments. You can go to the guild hall to accept tasks, help some ability users refine magical insects, and earn commissions.

If you're lucky, you might even be recognized and given a magical insect, instantly becoming a power user.

"I left something here, I'm back to get it."

Matthew made an excuse and headed deeper into the alchemy workshop. He then went to the warehouse where materials were managed and requested two bottles of magic potions.

This is one of the perks of being an alchemist; a dose of two bottles a month is enough to refine any single-use magical insect.

Of course, he wasn't trying to refine any demonic insects, but rather to leave a trace.

"The witnesses, the physical evidence, the source of the demonic insects—now we have it all."

First-tier magical insects are not something apprentices or alchemists like them can access. To use their abilities without being suspected, they must have a very reasonable reason that will not be exposed.

I'm not afraid of not being able to explain clearly; I'm afraid of people with ulterior motives taking notice.

Today, after finding the exploding bug he had sold at the jade gambling market, a perfect timeline was born in his mind.

......

As night deepened, the pale red afterglow on the horizon gradually faded.

After resting and recuperating, Matthew walked out of the guild openly and continued towards the outskirts of town.

Before they even left the town, the tail behind them reappeared, getting closer and closer.

Seeing this, Matthew quickened his pace and headed towards the border, outwardly pretending not to know he was being followed.

To lull the people behind him into a false sense of security, he bought some food before leaving town, making it seem like he was going to spend the night away.

He didn't stop until he returned to that familiar spot, and then he turned around and spoke.

"Come out, you've been following us all this way, aren't you tired?"

As Matthew spoke, two burly men emerged from the shadows beside the path; they had been among the onlookers at the jade gambling site earlier.

"Hmph, I didn't expect you to be so vigilant. I thought I was going to fail today, but you came here on your own."

"They even found a place to bury themselves, which saved us a lot of trouble."

The two men continued talking to themselves, getting closer and closer, completely ignoring Matthew. Clearly, this wasn't the first time they'd done something like this.

But the next moment, with a clap of hands and a flash of sparks, Matthew attacked the two of them with superhuman speed.

Before the two burly men could react, a pair of large hands were already pressed against their faces.

Upon sensing the fluctuations of magic, both of them simultaneously displayed expressions of regret and terror.

There was a loud bang.

Two corpses, bleeding from all seven orifices and beyond dead, lay motionless on the ground.

They couldn't understand it until their deaths: wasn't the exploding bug that emerged from the magic stone dead?

"I thought you guys were so great, so you came out to rob people like everyone else. Remember to be a good person in your next life."

Matthew rubbed his numb hands. The shockwave from the explosion made him feel a bit unwell. No wonder the label said it was mentally and physically taxing and advised him to use it in moderation.

Just as he was preparing to collect his spoils and drag the two men to a nearby mass grave, he suddenly heard the sound of dry branches being broken behind him.

At the same time, a wind blade was flying toward the back of his head at an extremely fast speed.

Although the magic allowed Matthew to sense the attack from behind, he had nowhere to dodge, so he could only reach behind his head and snap his fingers several times.

The successive explosions neutralized the wind blades behind him, allowing Matthew to take the opportunity to roll forward.

As he got up, a second wind blade arrived, this time larger and faster.

Matthew could only continue clapping with both hands, while also using the strength of the dung beetle in his left hand.

In the dead of night, a violent explosion, accompanied by blinding flames, resounded in the mass grave.

Bones were scattered everywhere. Matthew stood in the deep pit, his right thumb and middle finger trembling uncontrollably. He looked at the ability user who emerged from the shadows not far ahead with an ugly expression.

This man was the very stone servant who served as judge for him and Luca.

Snap... Snap... Snap...

"So it was you who came to the quarry to sell the magical insects that day, alchemist... Matthew."

Stone Servant clapped his hands with a mocking expression. Clearly, he recognized the ability Matthew used, which was the same as the magical insects sold to them that day—the Exploding Insect.

Therefore, he deduced that the other party definitely had more than one.

"Is this how you do business at your jade gambling quarries?"

Matthew was trying his best to adjust his state. The other party had come for his life, and this matter was definitely not going to end well.

"Heh, who told you I work at the jade gambling site? I just work there. Don't ask so many questions if you're a dead man."

Shi Pu didn't intend to waste words with him. He raised his right hand and joined two fingers together. A magical power quickly gathered at his fingertips, gradually forming a constantly rotating wind blade.

"You were able to withstand my attack after just coming into contact with the demonic insects. You'd be considered a talent in the guild. What a pity."

After saying that, Shi Pu waved the wind blade at his fingertips, which rapidly enlarged in the air and flew towards Matthew.

However, the next moment, Matthew charged straight into the wind blade, as if he intended to take the blow with his own body.

Upon seeing this, Shi Pu burst out laughing.

Even those who have refined magical insects that can enhance their physique wouldn't dare to directly confront the wind blades formed by gathering magical power.

But when he saw Matthew's actions, the smile on his face vanished.

Matthew was barefoot, his tattered shoes having been thrown away at some point.

With each landing, the magic beneath your feet bursts forth, generating friction in a small area to provide acceleration.

After the speed increased to a certain level, the explosion sounded again.

Matthew sprang high into the air, narrowly avoiding the wind blade, his expression somewhat grimacing. He gathered a large amount of magic power in his hands and charged straight at the stone servant.

Even before friction occurs, the sparks jumping around are already visible to the naked eye.

"Die, you little brat!"

Upon realizing what was happening, the stone servant immediately gathered a large number of wind blades in his hand and shot them toward Matthew in mid-air.

At that moment, he admitted that he had panicked.

There are people in the guild who have the ability to use explosive bugs, but this is the first time I've seen someone develop it to this extent like Matthew.

At the same time, he felt an intense aura of death surrounding him, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

"You're the one who'll die!"

Immediately afterwards, a thunderous explosion, accompanied by towering flames, erupted on the mass grave.