For Seaview City, the northern Poisonmist Gorge is a true zone of death. Not only is it shrouded year-round in lethal, toxic mists, but it also serves as the stronghold of the city's largest underground power—the Viper's Nest.
Even the Monty Family, who helped establish the Viper's Nest, can't fathom why the city's most notorious criminal organization would occupy such a barren stretch of land—a meager, depleted mine, a handful of poison herb patches, and various deadly magical beasts lurking in the mist. That's all Poisonmist Gorge has to offer.
Among all the territories ruled by Seaview City's factions, the Viper's Nest's Poisonmist Gorge is, if not the worst, certainly one of the worst.
This place offers almost no profit, and to fend off monster attacks, the Viper's Nest has to pour in massive manpower and resources every year.
Yet after all these years, the Viper's Nest has never given up this territory. As for the real reason, perhaps only Soth himself knows...
After a decade of Viper's Nest management, Poisonmist Gorge has changed dramatically. Fortifications have sprung up everywhere, and a string of outposts has made the gorge nearly impregnable. Even Seth, the Silvermoon Mercenary Company's leader, after visiting once, could only shake his head and mutter, 'Soth, that bastard is a real coward.'
Who is Seth, anyway...
He's the head of the Silvermoon Mercenary Company, the strongest swordmaster in Seaview City. Three years ago, he already reached the peak of battle aura cultivation—one step away from joining the ranks of the truly formidable. Even he couldn't help but smile bitterly at the sight of Poisonmist Gorge, so you can imagine just how terrifyingly well-defended the place is now.
At this moment, deep within Poisonmist Gorge, inside a hastily built wooden shack...
'Are you saying that Matthew Merlin is a Grand Mage?' The speaker was Soth—a short, pale middle-aged man. Anyone meeting Soth for the first time would find it hard to believe that such an unremarkable person could control Seaview City's largest underground syndicate.
'Y-yes...' Next to Soth was a hospital bed, and lying on it was Rios—the swordmaster who'd suffered a humiliating defeat at the Gilded Rose. Now, all his former arrogance was gone; he lay weak and powerless, wrapped head to toe in thick bandages, looking for all the world like a ridiculous mummy.
'A Grand Mage, huh...' Staring at his loyal subordinate swaddled in bandages, Soth couldn't help but feel a pounding headache. This Matthew Merlin hid himself far too well. Barely in his twenties, and yet so patient and reserved?
Honestly, if it were him, and he'd advanced to Grand Mage at twenty, he would've bragged about it to the whole city—let everyone in Seaview know he was now a powerful mage.
But this Matthew Merlin?
Quietly advancing to Grand Mage, and no one knew a thing. If Rios hadn't been crushed at the Gilded Rose, Soth would still be clueless, thinking the Gilded Rose was just some easy pickings.
A Grand Mage in his twenties—what a nightmare...
If he'd known the Gilded Rose had such a powerhouse guarding it, he never would've stupidly seized their goods or sent Rios and Larry to negotiate. It was like throwing meat buns to a dog—and this time, two meat buns at once...
Damn it, how is he supposed to clean up this mess now?
For a moment, Soth's headache couldn't get any worse.
If he'd known, he never would've coveted the Elixir of Hope's formula. Now look—he's accidentally offended a Grand Mage barely in his twenties.
Honestly, an ordinary Grand Mage wouldn't be much trouble.
The Viper's Nest may not be Seaview City's top faction, and Soth lacks someone of Salomon's caliber, but twenty years of hard work isn't a joke. If he scraped together all his Grand Mages and swordmasters, he'd have four or five formidable fighters. If push came to shove, who knows who would win?
But a Grand Mage in his twenties? That's a whole different story...
Think about it: before Matthew Merlin, the youngest Grand Mage in Seaview City was Ryan, the Monty Family's eldest son—who was nearly thirty. Even so, Ryan was praised as a genius by Salomon himself. When Ryan came back, the whole city was in an uproar, and every faction wanted an alliance with the Monty Family.
Was it just because of Ryan's current strength?
Of course not...
Any first-rate faction in Seaview City has at least a handful of Grand Mages and swordmasters.
What they really cared about was Ryan's future potential. Anyone who can advance to Grand Mage before thirty is almost guaranteed to become a Magus. In other words, whoever allies with the Monty Family now will have a Magus supporting them in the future.
If Ryan was such a big deal, then Matthew Merlin is on another level...
A Grand Mage in his twenties—not just unheard of in Seaview City, but probably in all of eastern kingdom. With talent like that, who knows what heights he'll reach? Soth didn't even dare to imagine.
Definitely not someone you want to cross...
Besides, Soth just didn't have the energy to deal with it now...
For the past ten years, the Viper's Nest had been steadily expanding deeper into Poisonmist Gorge. Only Soth knew the real reason—a secret that could shake the whole kingdom. But this expansion had drained more than half the Viper's Nest's strength. Until he found that ancient temple, Soth couldn't spare much attention elsewhere. That's why the Viper's Nest had kept such a low profile in Seaview City for the past decade.
(Irrelevant passage about chapter navigation—skip translation.)
If Matthew Merlin were just an ordinary mage, Soth would have shown no mercy—he'd have found an excuse, stolen or swindled, and wouldn't have stopped until he got the Elixir of Hope's formula.
But now Soth knew: Matthew Merlin wasn't just any mage. He wasn't even an ordinary Grand Mage.
Someone who could easily cripple a swordmaster couldn't possibly be an ordinary Grand Mage.
At this point, Soth had no choice but to consider the consequences.
'Bell, what do you think?'
'A Grand Mage above fifth rank.' The speaker was the elderly man who'd sat silently behind Soth the whole time.
The old man wore a black robe, its cuffs embroidered with a ring of fine silver thread—clearly, a true Grand Mage. But unlike the swordmaster lying in bed, the old man radiated no obvious magical energy. He wasn't like Rios, whose every movement stirred up waves of battle aura.
If Leon were here, he'd instantly see that the old man was far stronger than Rios. Rios had just advanced to swordmaster and couldn't even control his battle aura fully—a rookie in the eyes of real experts.
But the old man behind Soth had completely suppressed his magical aura—a feat only truly seasoned Grand Mages could achieve.
And that's exactly how it was. Everyone knew the Viper's Nest had a mysterious Grand Mage who'd stood behind Soth since his rise. He rarely spoke or intervened, but every word was law to Soth, and every action solved a thorny problem for the syndicate.
No one really knew just how powerful this Grand Mage was—only that he was incredibly, almost unbelievably strong...
Even Salomon, master of Sage's Spire, once joked at a gathering: would Soth let Grand Mage Bell join Sage's Spire? For that, he'd offer three Grand Mages in exchange.
Of course, it was just a joke.
Soth would never give up Bell, and Sage's Spire would never trade three Grand Mages.
But soon after, Salomon's joke spread through Seaview City, further proving just how formidable Grand Mage Bell was.
Bell's position in the Viper's Nest was unique. He wasn't a subordinate—more like an advisor. Most of the time, Soth would consult Bell before making any major decision.
Just like now—when Bell said 'fifth-rank Grand Mage,' Soth could only suck in a cold breath...
Soth didn't even bother to question how a young man in his twenties could become a fifth-rank Grand Mage.
If Bell said he was fifth rank, then he was fifth rank—no doubt about it.
'Alright, release those five alchemy apprentices and the shipment. Get someone to escort them to outside Razor Rift before sundown.' Soth hadn't climbed to his position by being indecisive. Now that he knew the Gilded Rose wasn't easy prey, he made up his mind instantly.
Even if the decision was a little humiliating...
But for Soth, humiliation was no big deal. Dodging a potential enemy was far more important. Better a little shame than making a mortal enemy of a Grand Mage in his twenties.
A little humiliation just means some jokes at your expense. But offending a Grand Mage in his twenties? That's no joke. Who knows how strong he'll be in ten or twenty years—what if he becomes a Magus, or even a Title Magus?
By then, what—just wait for him to come back and squash you like a bug?
'Quick, quick, quick—get someone on it, now.'
'And... and Matthew Merlin also said...' At that moment, Rios struggled to speak from his hospital bed.
'He said more?'
'He said... he said twenty thousand gold coins for each alchemy apprentice. And... and the damage I caused at the Gilded Rose—he wants... he wants a million gold coins in compensation.'
'Two million gold coins!' Soth nearly jumped out of his seat, slamming a hand on the table. 'What does he think the Viper's Nest is?'
'Bad news, bad news...' Just then, a mage from the Viper's Nest burst in, his black robe torn to shreds and his shoulder marked by a huge, charred patch—clearly scorched by fire magic.
'Look at you—panicking like that!' Soth was still reeling from the two million gold coins, his mood foul. Seeing the mage's sorry state only made him angrier.
'No—boss, Ma-Ma-Matthew Merlin... he's broken in!'
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(Author's note and voting request—irrelevant to the novel narrative. Skipped translation.)