The most shameless alchemist in history

095 Intermediate-level magical beast

Dure was very unlucky. If the train hadn't been stuck in the snowfield overnight, he wouldn't have missed the date. Of course, he couldn't entirely blame the snowfield, because he had stayed in Snow Eagle Town for three days before, and he thought that he had been calculating the time and there would be no mistakes.

But now it seems that plans can't keep up with changes. He was too optimistic about his judgment. Of course, all of this was based on the premise that he didn't know that Fant was deceiving him. How could such a kind and amiable middle-aged fat uncle lie to people? That's what Du Lei thought.

After leaving the building, he ran towards the Academy Mountain as Fant pointed. Although he was still carrying luggage, he was used to traveling through snowy mountains and crossing mountains was as easy as walking on flat ground for him. Compared to Snow Eagle Town and the snowfield, which were covered in white snow everywhere.

The weather in Maple Leaf City was much clearer, and everything was lush and green. This was the first time in Dure's life that he had seen anything in the mountains other than snow. He followed the smooth mountain path forward, initially thinking that Fant's words were an exaggeration and that he would arrive soon.

"What's going on? I've been traveling all day, and I still haven't arrived. Is it really that far? And although I don't want to admit it, I'm so sleepy." Du Lei yawned. It was morning when he got off the train, but now it was already dark.

Having encountered misfortune on the snowy plains, he hadn't slept a wink all night. Although he managed to get some sleep after changing trains, the sleep quality on the train was poor, and after a long day of travel, he was exhausted and tired. Just having a bed to sleep in for the night would be pure bliss.

"It seems Uncle Fant wasn't lying to me. We need to hurry. Let's hold on a little longer and try to get there as soon as possible. It's already night, and it's unsettling to spend the night in a place like this." Du Lei looked around. Although the roads were smooth and repaired.

But the woods on both sides were too dense. During the day, nothing seemed strange, but once night fell, he could clearly sense something stirring in the woods. Moreover, he had walked for so long without encountering a single person, which puzzled him.

"Hmm, that noise is..." Du Lei, who was rushing along, suddenly stopped and turned around to look into the woods.

"Hehe, kid, did you notice? Since that's the case, we don't need to hide anymore. Brothers, come out!" A rustling sound came from the woods. After noticing that Du Lei had stopped, three people jumped out.

They were all around seventeen or eighteen years old. The leader was a strong young man who held a dagger and threatened Du Lei fiercely. Not only from behind Du Lei, but also from the woods in front, three more people emerged, making a total of six people.

"You guys get out of the way! Are you looking to die?" Du Lei wasn't surprised by their appearance. He shouted anxiously, his words revealing his nervousness. He subconsciously put down his briefcase and pulled a dagger from his boot.

"Hey kid, you've got guts. I've been around here for so long, and not many people dare to talk to me like you. Not bad, not bad. You even showed me your weapon? I'm not moving aside, so what can you do about it?" The leader licked the edge of his knife, his face contorted with rage.

“You idiot, behind you, behind you!” Du Lei shouted at the other person. He was usually a calm person, but now he realized that the other person could not understand him at all. He pointed behind the other person and kept gesturing.

"Kid, do you think I'm a three-year-old? You think you can get away with a feint? Who do you think Hassan is? I'm not falling for your tricks. If you know what's good for you, hand over everything." The boy who called himself Hassan scoffed at Dure's words and didn't take them seriously at all.

"Roar"

Just as Hassan was about to approach Dure with his dagger, something suddenly rushed out of the dense forest behind him with a deafening roar. Startled, he instinctively turned around and was horrified to see a giant bear, taller than a man, standing there.

"Idiot, what are you still standing there for? Run!" Du Lei suddenly threw the dagger in his hand. The dagger accurately pierced the giant bear's neck, but only a few sparks flew out, and after a "clang", it fell to the ground.

"This...this is a mid-level magical beast, the Mighty Bear! How could a mid-level magical beast appear here?" Hassan stammered, his legs trembling uncontrollably. For a moment, he forgot to run away and couldn't hear Durei's words. He watched as the Mighty Bear swung its huge paw, about to strike.

"Damn it, are you deaf? This is the only way. Run!" Dure saw that Hassan was unmoved. Although he did not know the origin of the giant bear, his instinct told him that he had to stay away from this guy. It was much more powerful than the snow wolf and was beyond his ability. After throwing his dagger proved ineffective, he realized that the bear was not a threat.

He grabbed the pocket at his waist, quickly took out a small bag of powder, and threw it forward.

"Cough cough, what is this? Which bastard threw sand here? It doesn't look like sand, it smells awful!" Hassan was hit squarely by the powder thrown by Durei and immediately inhaled a lot of "sand." He coughed incessantly, and the stench quickly spread.

"Hassan, hurry up and take this opportunity to escape, or it will be too late!" Hassan's companion urged him immediately.

"Ha, right, I understand now. Let's take this opportunity to escape. We can't beat a mid-level magical beast even if all of us combine our strength." Hassan belatedly realized the problem and immediately ran away with his companions, while the roar of the Mighty Bear came from behind.

After running several hundred meters in one breath, they saw that there was no movement behind them and realized that Mighty Bear had been left behind and would not catch up. They breathed a sigh of relief. Recalling what had just happened, Hassan was still shaken. He almost died there.

"Are you safe now? What was wrong with you just now? I told you to run, but you wouldn't. Did you want to be that bear's lunch? You made me waste a whole bag of medicine powder." Dure gave Hassan, who had just escaped death, a good scolding.

If he hadn't thrown the powder in time, Hassan would definitely have had a close encounter with Mighty Bear by now.

096 Lifesaving grace

Hassan and Dure, who were originally supposed to be robber and passerby, gradually came to be on the same side after the appearance of Mighty Bear. Amidst the roar of Mighty Bear, they fled all the way until they reached a small mountain pass nearby, where they escaped the pursuit of Mighty Bear.

Recalling what had just happened, Hassan and the others were still shaken. They were well aware that they were no match for Mighty Bear. If Dure hadn't helped them at the crucial moment, it was hard to say whether they would still be safe and sound.

"Hassan, shall we still rob him?" After confirming that they were safe, a companion next to Hassan asked in a low voice. After all, they had initially stopped Dure with the intention of robbing him, but who knew that things would turn out like this, which made things very awkward.

"What robbery? If it weren't for their help, we'd all be dead here. Even if we're ruthless, we wouldn't go this far. Hurry up and thank them. Introduce yourself again, my name is Hassan, thank you for your help earlier." Hassan angrily berated his companion.

At the same time, he sincerely thanked Dure, a stark contrast to his fierce demeanor just moments before. Clearly, he was a very frank person. Moreover, upon closer inspection, Dure noticed that Hassan didn't exude much hostility, but rather a deep sense of helplessness.

"Thank you so much for saving my life, brother!" The other young robbers bowed and expressed their gratitude after seeing Hassan take the lead.

"These are minor matters for you. If I hadn't stopped that bear, I would have been in trouble too. So, it's less about saving you and more about saving myself. Don't worry about it. Who are you people and why are you around here?"

Dure waved his hand, not intending to take credit for himself. He asked Hassan and the others with a puzzled look. After all, this was Academy Mountain, the territory of Maple Leaf Academy. Moreover, there were no villages or shops around. Even if they robbed here, they wouldn't find many targets.

"As you can see, we are professional robbers," Hassan patted his chest, declaring with great pride. He not only did not despise being a "robber," but was even very proud of it, which greatly surprised Dure. Normal people don't have his kind of boldness.

"Is he professional?" Du Lei asked, pointing to this angle. He had never seen a robber be grateful to his victim.

"Well, we're not very familiar with this yet, but I think we'll definitely improve in time and won't make this kind of mistake again. But speaking of which, this area is clearly a safe zone, so how could a mid-level magical beast like the Mighty Bear appear here? That's really strange."

Hassan scratched his head and looked into the distance with a puzzled expression. He was very familiar with the surrounding terrain and knew exactly where different kinds of magical beasts would appear. He should have avoided dangerous areas long ago, but today he encountered the Mighty Bear in a safe area, which made him particularly confused.

Du Lei pondered the term "intermediate-level magical beast." He had heard a similar concept back in Hot Spring Village, but hadn't inquired about it in detail.

"Yes, magical beasts are divided into many levels. The most common is low-level, then mid-level, and then high-level, steel-level, fighting-level, fire-level, and so on. Hey, young man, you've been hanging around here, which means you're going to study at Maple Leaf Academy. How come you don't even know this basic stuff?"

Hassan gave a general overview, and after he finished, he belatedly realized that the levels of magical beasts should have been basic common sense.

"So that's how it is. So the Snow Wolf is a low-level magical beast, which one person can barely handle, while the Mighty Bear is a mid-level magical beast, which one cannot handle at all. Is this the difference in levels? And what about star ratings?" Du Lei pondered, resting his chin on his hand. He then thought of the Hot Spring Village incident.

At that time, he learned about the star rating system from Nan Yin and others. Now that he had met Hassan, who knew about it, he immediately asked him about it.

"Star rating? Star rating is just a classification within the same level. These are all things that the Magic Energy Research Association came up with. Bro, let me put it this way, even among Mighty Bears, there's definitely a difference in strength between an adult and an immature one, right?" Hassan asked Dure.

“Of course, adults are definitely stronger than minors.” Dure nodded, agreeing with Hassan’s statement.

"So the difference between them is their star rating, understand? Like an immature Mighty Bear, it's a one-star mid-tier magical beast, but when it grows up, it can reach nine-star mid-tier, which is an eight-star difference. So the latter can easily defeat the former," Hassan explained in detail.

"What about those above nine stars?" Dure asked again, he was the kind of person who would never give up until he got to the bottom of things, absorbing the knowledge Hassan was introducing.

"Nine stars and above is considered high-level, and it can beat a one-star mid-level dog so badly that its parents wouldn't recognize it. However, Mighty Bear could never exceed nine stars." Hassan said half-jokingly and half-seriously. Dure had saved his life, so he was very open and honest with him.

"Why is it impossible to exceed nine stars?" Du Lei asked curiously.

"It's because of the bloodline. The bloodline of the Mighty Bear is destined to be the bottleneck at the mid-level. It is impossible to break through it. Even if one or two out of ten thousand Mighty Bears break through the upper limit and become a mutated species, that is a very rare occurrence. Such a situation can be ignored."

Hassan waved his hand. He was a talkative man, and when he and Dure talked, they seemed more like friends than robbers and strangers.

“I understand. It means that no matter how powerful the Mighty Bear is, it’s still just a bear and can’t transform into anything else. And the limitations of the species determine its upper limit.” After thinking for a moment, Dure nodded. He had a strong ability to understand and quickly grasped Hassan’s meaning.

“That’s right, that’s exactly it. With our level, we can only deal with low-level magical beasts at best, and that’s only if they’re five stars or higher. Only those powerful magic warriors can handle anything stronger.” Hassan sighed, and he could openly admit his shortcomings.

"Are magic warriors the mercenaries who use magic to fight?" Dure often had the ability to draw inferences and make connections, and continued to ask questions.

"Mercenaries are just one type; magic warriors are a general term for all people who use magic-based weapons," Hassan corrected.

"What exactly is that magical weapon?" Dure asked again.

"Magic weapons are powerful items that alchemists use alchemy to extract from the cores of magical beasts and attach to weapons and equipment. I've only heard of them, I've never seen them," Hassan patiently explained.

"And what kind of beings are alchemists?" Dure became interested and asked one question after another.

And they continued forward in the hazy darkness of the night.

097 You've been scammed

After following Hassan and the others for more than an hour, Dure finally spotted some lights ahead. Dure initially thought that was Maple Leaf Academy, but its scale was smaller than the reception area at the foot of the mountain, which disappointed him somewhat. However, upon closer inspection, he found that it was not what he expected.

He discovered that there were no academy buildings here, just an ordinary little village, or more accurately, a settlement. Dozens of tents were scattered along the riverbank, and scattered campfires were burning brightly. Someone was walking towards Hassan and his group.

"Hey, Hassan, what time is it? Where have you been with your men? Didn't I warn you that there are monsters lurking around here lately? Be careful! If you get attacked, your skills won't be enough to handle it." A woman who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old walked towards them.

She was nearly 1.75 meters tall. Such a height is not unusual for a boy, but for a woman, it makes her stand out from the crowd. She had a slender and graceful figure, especially her long legs, which made her look like she was 1.8 meters tall. She was somewhat dissatisfied with Hassan's delayed return.

"There was no monster attack or anything like that. We were just wandering around the area, looking for any lost travelers, and we happened to run into one and kindly brought him here, right, Dure?" Hassan said with a forced smile, clearly unsure of himself in front of the girl.

On the way here, he repeatedly told Dure to keep the truth about the robbery a secret and to tell Dure about a woman named Lillian who was very troublesome. Although Dure had never met Lillian and did not know who she was, judging from Hassan's behavior, she was undoubtedly the woman in front of him.

“A lost traveler in the mountains? What lost traveler is there? Are you out of your mind? I’ve heard John and the others say that you’re always sneaking around on the mountain roads with your men. You’re not planning to rob someone, are you? Doing something so despicable, are you?” Lillian didn’t believe Hassan’s words.

She looked at Hassan with suspicion, which put him under great pressure, making him silent and afraid to even breathe.

"No, no, that's not true. How could I possibly rob someone on the street? Hahaha, Lillian, you're really joking. I've been obediently following your instructions. Dure, you better explain yourself. I really didn't rob you, right?" Hassan quickly dragged Dure out to recite his statement.

"Um, Dure, you were brought back by Hassan, right? What's going on?" Lillian then noticed a boy of about thirteen or fourteen years old next to Hassan. She frowned and asked. Many people gathered around, and Dure glanced at them and found that they were all teenagers.

“That’s right, I was robbed by Hassan,” Duree confirmed.

"See, see, Lillian, I didn't lie to you, did I? How could I possibly rob Hadure? You bastard, didn't you promise not to betray me? How could you say something like this? Waaah, what happened to the trust between people? You've let me down so badly!" Hassan belatedly realized.

He initially thought Dure was vouching for him, but gradually he realized something was amiss. By the time he came to his senses, it was too late to make Dure swallow his words. He pointed at Dure and suffered a heavy blow.

“Because she seems to have a higher status, and I can’t lie, it’s a fact that you robbed me, isn’t it?” Dure shrugged and confessed frankly, which made Hassan, who thought he could get away with it, feel like dying.

"Just as I thought, Hassan. I see you're completely ignoring what I said. Do you even respect me?" After receiving Dure's affirmative answer, Lillian flew into a rage. Although she was a woman, her temper and courage were proportional, even though Hassan was much taller than her.

But her aura completely overwhelmed Hassan; she was an absolute powerhouse.

"Waaah, Lillian, I was wrong, I'll never do it again." Hassan could be very imposing and fearless in front of others, but he was completely powerless in front of Lillian. He could only follow the principle of apologizing first. He knew all too well how terrifying this woman could be when she got angry.

“Even if you’re robbing someone behind my back, you should at least show some results. Instead, you’ve brought someone to the camp. What’s going on?” After scolding Hassan, Lillian turned her attention back to Dure, clearly suspicious of the boy’s appearance.

Although Hassan's actions greatly displeased her, the fact that the boy was now brazenly appearing in the camp made her frown.

"Lillian, don't be angry. Listen to me first. Here's what happened," Hassan hurriedly explained the cause and effect to Lillian. The firewood on the bonfire was still crackling and burning. Although Maple City was not covered with snow like Snow Eagle Town and Hot Spring Village.

This is largely due to the fact that Maple City is located in the south and borders the Mountain Country to the south. However, it is still the end of winter and winter is not completely over, so the nights are still a bit cold. A campfire is undoubtedly the best companion to dispel the cold.

After putting down his luggage, Du Lei sat by the fire and observed everything around him. He roughly figured out that there were thirty or forty people in the camp, all of them teenagers aged sixteen to eighteen. Their so-called "camp" was very simple, consisting of just a few dozen tents scattered along the river.

Next to them were pots, pans and other utensils. Although their clothes were clean, they had been patched and mended many times, indicating that they had been there for a long time. The boys and girls each had their own tasks, and someone brought him two pieces of bread.

Du Lei, who was already starving, wolfed down his food. His box contained some leftover jerky he had brought from the hot spring village. He shared some of it, which made many people's eyes light up. It was clear that these teenagers hadn't eaten meat in a long time.

"So that's how it is. You were tricked by that guy Fant. You could have used the spatial imprint he set up to teleport directly to the academy on the mountain. He didn't do it to save trouble." After listening to Dure's explanation, Lillian understood the whole story.

After hearing about Dure's experience at the reception desk, she bluntly pointed out that he had been misled by Fant, which stunned Dure.

"What do you mean? I thought he was a kind person, but I didn't expect him to be a liar." Du Lei recalled Fan Te's appearance, which really surprised him.

098 Magical Techniques

The firewood pile on the riverbank was still burning brightly, and the sky was full of stars. Looking at the brilliant starry sky around the fire, Du Lei had experienced similar things before, but most of the time he was alone, lying on the cold snow.

It was the first time that twenty or thirty people of the same age had gathered here. The evening breeze was blowing gently, and someone occasionally sneezed at night. It was a bit cold, but for someone like Du Lei, who came from the snow-capped mountains, this temperature was nothing. He added branches to the fire.

"Miss Lillian, did you just say that you were all students who came to Maple Leaf Academy last year but failed the entrance exam and were rejected?" After talking with Lillian and the others and figuring out their identities and why they were there, Du Lei seemed to be deep in thought.

“It’s not that we didn’t pass the entrance exam, it’s that that bastard Charlotte demanded a bribe from us. We didn’t have the money to give him, so he deliberately made things difficult for us and prevented us from passing the exam,” Hassan said indignantly. He was furious whenever Charlotte was mentioned.

When Charlotte Dure first heard the name, she pondered it for a moment, her words carrying a hint of inquiry.