Ace looked at Marcus Leth, who was standing not far away, but found that he was also confused. He didn't seem to know what was going on.

Soon after the airship arrived at the barracks outside the Warcraft Mountains, the ground forces also arrived quickly.

After disembarking from the ship, they all lived in the corresponding military accounts under the arrangement of several mages.

Before the students rested, Aier immediately issued an order: "In the morning, all students will be organized into a team, and in the afternoon, go to the outer edge of the Warcraft Mountain Range to prevent the Warcraft from attacking." ”

The students were full of complaints. They did not expect that after arriving at their destination, they would go into combat so quickly that there would be no time to rest at all.

Aier gave the reason: "The chaos in the Warcraft Mountains is intensifying, and more Warcraft are constantly pouring out in the mountains. ”

While the Empire has set up some protection around this mountain, the area of the Warcraft Mountain Range mountain is too large. These simple protections can only be seen as a drop in the bucket. Doesn't achieve the desired results. At best, it serves as a psychological comfort.

Al called Ace and Alexander aside to talk alone.

"Your strength has reached the level of an intermediate magician. I just got the news that two members of a team were injured. When the time comes, the two of you will immediately fill this position. Do you understand? "As soon as Al arrived at the barracks, her whole temperament changed completely.

Ace nodded in agreement. Although Alexander was reluctant to join the fight immediately, he nodded in agreement after seeing Ace's determined gaze. Ace originally wanted to apply for Alexander's medical work in the barracks and not let him enter the Warcraft Mountains, but the officials refused. He had no choice but to let Alexander go with him.

Ace and he are in the military tent to gather their gear in preparation for the upcoming battle. At this time, a lazy voice sounded outside the military tent: "Who is Monchi-D-Ace, and the other is Alexander Fire?" It's a hard name to remember. ”

Hearing this, Ace frowned and walked out, and Alexander hurriedly followed.

Outside the military tent, Ace saw a villain young man standing not far away with his waist crossed, with a dog's tail in his mouth.

"I'm Ace. He is Alexander. Who are you? What's the matter with us? There was not the slightest fear in Ace's eyes.

The villain sneered, "Are you Ace?" I heard you're a fourth-level dark mage. I just wanted to see what kind of magic the legendary power of the abyss is. Oh, my name is Rakki Ender. ”

Ace looked around and saw that there were many trained mid-level magicians here. Most of them are only around 20 years old.

Suddenly, a blue figure in the crowd immediately caught Ace's attention.

She was wearing a blue robe, and her face was frozen like ice. Her beautiful face stands out in the crowd. The white fluff on the edge of the hood was blown away by the wind, but not as white as her face.

This person is none other than Carla your, who met Ace in the mountains of the Warcraft Mountains a few months ago.

Kara seemed to notice Ace's eyes and naturally looked away.

Next to Kara, stood a tall, powerful soldier, only 17 or 18 years old. He was handsome and dashing, with a strong sense of killing between his eyebrows. It was this warrior general who killed the Water Pillar Turtle in the Warcraft Mountain Range.

Ace didn't want to cause trouble, so he refused: "I don't want to fight with you." After all, the battle is about to begin. There is no need to waste energy here. ”

But a young man named Rakki sneered and said, "We have to understand your strength in order for you to join our team?" Right, Henry? ”

Then Rakki looked at the tall and handsome young soldier.

"Henry? Is he the Henry Jane mentioned by the Romance brothers? Ace thought to himself. Seeing Kara Uhl standing beside him, Ace basically confirmed his suspicions.

The warrior named Henry smiled coldly, seemingly unaware of Ace.

Ace was about to turn around and go back to the army tent, but Rakki sneered and said, "What, you don't dare?" Why don't you go with that Alexander fire. After all, I'm a fifth-level wind mage. It seems a bit unfair to bully you as a fourth-level dark mage. ”

At first, Ace was not ready to act, but the fact that this guy named Rakki dared to make fun of Alexander's name made him unbearable.

Ace clenched his fists and turned to look coldly at the arrogant guy. Alexander stood aside, not minding at all. He grabbed the angry Ace and shook his head at him.

Ace took Alexander's hand, then smiled coldly and said to Rakhi, "No, I'm enough for myself." ”

For a while, there was a lot of noise around, and onlookers were naturally in a not too big psychological state to watch the exciting scene. Watching duels between peers during a rare break is really a great entertainment.

Rakki was a little surprised. He felt he had misheard.

"You? Alone? Hahaha! Rakki laughed as if he had heard a big joke.

But at that moment, Ace vanished.

Henry watched the fight from a short distance away, and he exclaimed that the fight was not good. But in the blink of an eye, Ace's figure had appeared behind Rakhi. Ace just touched the back of the other's head, and then "flashed" back to his original position.

Rakki hadn't recovered yet, and looked at Ace blankly.

Ace just whispered, "You're dead!" ”

With the exception of Carla and Henry, almost all the onlookers did not react.

Kara's expression didn't change at all, and Henry frowned and shook his head. In his opinion, Ace was indeed much more mature than Rakki at his age. He was just curious why Ace was so skilled? It's not like a newbie who doesn't know anything, it's more like a veteran who has been through it many times.

Rakhi's face changed suddenly, and he said gloomily, "You took advantage of the loophole! ”

But Ace said indifferently: "In an actual battle, who cares about this? Do we have to come to an agreement with you before the fight? ”

Ace naturally has a deep understanding of this. For example, the last time the Level 6 Fire Mage launched a surprise attack on him and Alexander in the Mystic Forest. There was no sign beforehand.

The students watching around immediately began shouting.

"Well said, haha, Rakhi, aren't you even a freshman now? Won't you feel embarrassed? ”

"That's right. Do other people have to wait for you to be ready in the actual battle? ”

For a while, the voices of ridicule rang out one after another. This guy doesn't seem to be very popular among students in the same batch.

Many would privately say that Rakhi's reputation among this group of students was largely due to two very strong teammates, one being Carla your and the other, of course, Henry Jane.

Therefore, at this time, it is natural for them to feel a little ecstatic when they see that Rakki is losing in front of a freshman, because Rakki always relies on two strong teammates and looks down on the other team members.

In addition, he is also one of the five major families in the imperial capital, and the people of the Ander family are even more arrogant and arrogant.

"Ace, if you have the ability, don't play such dirty tricks. How about we play fair games? Rakki looked at him coldly and said.

Ace smiled at the corner of his mouth and said, "I'm afraid you won't want to do this." ”

The young people around him began to shout again.

Just as Ace and Rakki were preparing to fight, a solemn voice sounded, "Aren't you tired enough?" Don't you need a good rest after last night's interception? It's still wasting energy here. In the afternoon, you'll head to the battlefield again. At this point, is there still time to waste here? ”

When people heard the familiar voice, they suddenly secretly said that something was wrong, and the crowd quickly dispersed.

Kara hesitated for a moment, then followed the crowd away. When Henry sees Carla leave, he follows her, whispering to Carla as he goes. But Kara didn't respond, and Henry seemed to get used to it.

Al came to Ace and Rakki and said indifferently, "You are about to become comrades-in-arms. What you need most now is the tacit understanding and trust of the team! And not fighting each other for the so-called team status! Do you understand? ”

In the last few words, Ayr's voice was clearly threatening.

Ace saluted Al and said respectfully, "I see, Grand Magician El!" ”

Although Rakki was not satisfied, the Great Wizard of El spoke. He didn't dare to be bossy anymore. So, he could only stare at Ace reluctantly, and then quickly left.

But just as he passed by Aier, Aier said, "Don't think that you are a young master of a great nobleman, I dare not discipline you." Even if your father is in front of me, he will speak to me respectfully. ”

Although Rakhi's father was unhappy with the Grand Magician, before he joined the Imperial Army, he explained several times that he could argue with anyone in the army, but he could not violate military regulations, let alone offend the general.

Thus, it can be seen that the Great Magician of the El has a transcendent position in the New Delhi Empire. Rakhi's father was also a great mage, and just like El, he was also a great contributor to the Dragon Slayer campaign more than a decade ago. He also earned the title of duke. However, he always seems to be a little worse than Ayr.

Almost all the nobles of the empire knew that although after the Dragon Slaying War, the empire granted five dukes, their status should be equal. However, the reality is not the same. The sole military rank of archbishop was recognized by all.

After the archbishop, there is the Archmage of Air, that is, Carla's aunt.

Al is now in her 40s, but she has never been married to anyone. Some people talked about it in private, saying that no man in the world could conquer her. But that's not the case. Of course, these are later words.

After Rakki left, Al stared at Ace with a frown. After a long time, she said, "This team is very special. Among them are two very influential people. I think you've seen it through keen observation. ”

Ace nodded. "Henry and Kara."

"Yes, these two children are the hope for the future of the Empire. If there are no surprises, the future army of the empire will be in their hands. Speaking of which, Al couldn't help but glance at Ace again. Of course, maybe you can too. ”

Ace smiled bitterly, "I'm only a fourth-level dark mage now, and Kara should be sixth." As for Henry Jane, I think he should be a level 7 warrior. ”

Aier shook his head, a complicated expression in his eyes: "No, he has already reached the peak of level 8, and he may break through to level 9 at any time." ”

"What!" Ace was taken aback, and then he was filled with different feelings. He said a little dazedly: "It seems that I can't catch up." ”

Al said solemnly, "You don't have to be so discouraged. In my opinion, growing too fast may not be a good thing. It can make people arrogant. This arrogance hurts him once the critical moment comes. So you don't have to worry. As long as you try hard enough, you'll definitely catch up. The most important thing is that you don't change your original mind. Don't be fooled by the rapid growth right now. "Be strong, lose yourself in arrogance. That's the biggest taboo, you know? “

Although he didn't know why Al always took such good care of himself, Ace nodded respectfully, saluted Eyre, and left with Alexander.

After Ace also left, only Al remained nearby. She frowned as she looked at the boundless Demon Beast Mountain Range in front of her, and suddenly remembered the battle that killed the dragon more than ten years ago. At that time, it was also here, where the last ancient dragon in the world was killed. In the blink of an eye, more than ten years have passed. It's like a world far away!

He especially remembered that the handsome man in white armor stopped the dragon's retreat plan here and won the amazing battle.

Thinking of this, Al smiled softly, like a warm winter day.

In the afternoon, the students of the academy were organized into several groups, but unlike Ace and the others, the students who were preparing to go to the battlefield for the first time were all eight people in a group, not five.

Also, not all teams of eight are magicians. Generally, each team will have one or two fighters. Of course, the level of these fighters will not be too high. Most of them are level 3 and 4.

According to several instructors at the academy, they only need to stand outside the mountain to help clean up or drive away those fish that have escaped from the nets, and do not need to enter the mountain at all.

Of course, Ace and his team also have a powerful warrior, and that is Henry.

When Ace looked at the freshman, Rakki couldn't help but laugh at him: "What? If you're scared, you should apply to join their eight-person team as soon as possible. It's too late to regret it now. If you do enter the Warcraft Mountain Range, it is useless to regret it. ”

Ace ignored him, just kept looking at the students in the academy.

Seeing that the other person was not paying attention or retorting, Rakki became more and more excessive, as if the more he spoke, the more energetic he became.

Ace didn't think much about it, but Alexander, who had always been timid and cowardly, really didn't listen. He was about to come up with a theory, but Ace grabbed him.

"Can't stand it? Come on, Holy Light Mage. If you don't believe it, we can have a fight. Don't cower like a girl. Raki said contemptuously.

This time it was Ace's turn to be very furious: "I don't care what you say, but if you dare to say another word to him, I don't think you will want to know the consequences." ”

Ace now has a total of three brothers. It doesn't matter if they laugh and make fun of each other. After all, they were joking. But if outsiders dare to say that one of Ace's three brothers is wrong, Ace will never tolerate it.

"Hey, Ace, you're so protective of him. Is he your girlfriend? Then Rakki laughed.

I have to say that Rakhi's mouth is really cheap and smelly.

"You've said enough!"

Everyone was surprised that Kara, who had always been silent, was speaking for a newcomer.

Not to mention the others, even Kara herself was surprised. What's wrong with her? Why speak for someone you don't know?

Rakki wanted to say more, but Henry said, "Rakhi, stop talking nonsense. Strength is not proven by mouths. Which of the two of you is stronger? It will soon be known after that. ”

Seeing that Kara and Henry were talking, Rakki didn't dare to say anything more, despite his presumptuousness.

Just then, El's voice rang out.

"Young warriors, you are going to fight for the real battle today. I hope you can work as a team and win the battle on the first day based on mutual cooperation and trust! ”

"Time is of the essence. All teams enter the mountains in turn according to the designated location. The freshmen of the academy, stay outside and kill the monsters that escaped. ”

"Finally, good luck to you!"

After that, Al went to the Soldiers' Regiment and the Knights not far away. As the leader of this expedition, Al is responsible not only to the magician, but also to many people.

From Aier's hurry, you can feel that time is indeed very short. It seems that the situation inside the Warcraft Mountain Range is indeed very serious.

Ace and his team also entered the Warcraft Mountains after going through hundreds of high-level teams.

"As before, we still go to the Great Lakes Guard." Davy, who went into preparation, clearly changed his momentum, and it was an extremely serious and cautious attitude.

Ace agreed. This is what a battle should look like.

The group of five slowly walked inside. Along the way, Ace could see countless fallen trees, with numerous scratches and magic marks left on the thick trunks.

As you can imagine, many battles have taken place here before.

Depending on the strengths, major groups have rushed to their respective regions. Ace and others are responsible for the area around the Great Lake.

When they reach the lake, Ace discovers that this is where he first met Kara. In addition to the water column turtle, there seems to be a mysterious and powerful soul in the lake.

Now, the water turtle has long been killed by the imperial army, and the original smoky lake has returned to its original state and become cold.

Five people stood by the lake and looked around. However, they saw the heavy snow that had fallen not long ago, covering the invisible forest with a layer of white, covering many traces of Warcraft activity, which made it more difficult for them to search for targets.

The five people stood very close to each other, not daring to be too far apart. The last time they were too scattered, the other two companions were attacked by the Monster. They were seriously wounded and temporarily unable to take part in the battle.

Henry and Kara lead the way, Rakki follows, and Ace and Alexander consciously walk last. The distance between them is no more than five meters. Able to provide timely assistance in case of emergency.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Rakki couldn't help but mutter, "Why aren't there any Warcraft now?" ”

He was very angry today and had nowhere to vent his anger. At this time, he wanted to vent all his anger on the monster.

Henry turned his head and gave him a cold look. Rakki immediately shut his mouth and did not dare to talk nonsense anymore. Obviously, in front of this eighth-level warrior, Rakki didn't have a temper at all.

Based on Henry's strength, he should have been assigned to the senior team, but Henry repeatedly demanded that he must be on the same team as Kara, and the reason for this was understood by everyone.

In the eyes of many, Carla and Henry are a match made in heaven. Both of them are unparalleled geniuses. Carla has a beautiful face and Henry is handsome. Such a well-matched pair naturally won many envious glances. They must admit that these two are a natural pair.

The team circled around the lake, but still didn't find any signs of Warcraft activity, just when they thought there might be nothing to gain today.

Ace stopped abruptly and made a silent gesture to the other four.

Rakki snorted coldly and was about to speak, but Henry stopped him.

Ace listened intently. He had just noticed a slight movement, what appeared to be the sound of a tree trunk being rubbed against a sharp object.

After listening for a while, Ace basically determined the direction of the sound.

He pointed to a big tree not far away and whispered, "There it is." ”

Although the level of the Monster is uncertain, Ace can conclude that it is at least level 5 or above, as he cannot detect its soul. He had to rely on his sensitivity to sound to find traces of the beast.

The five men looked at the big tree for a long time, but they still didn't understand why.

Rakki has long been very dissatisfied with Ace, believing that he is just playing tricks and creating tension. In addition, he could not feel the subtle changes in the sounds around him. He couldn't help but whisper, "Are you so eager to prove your strength?" What is that? You say, I don't believe that there really is a monster hidden there. ”

This time, Henry didn't refute Rakhi's words, because he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

But Ace whispered, "Wait a minute, I'll go around behind the tree and take a look." ”

This time, Kara, who was as calm as water, couldn't help but frown: "No, it's too dangerous. ”

Ace waved his hand: "Don't worry, I won't leave this place, but I can see the scene behind the trees." ”

Seeing the suspicions of the other three, Alexander explained in a low voice: "Don't worry, Ace won't be in danger. Let's take a look. ”

Ace immediately began to recite the incantation, and then his eyes went black. Henry, Kara, and Rakki were all surprised. They had never seen a man's eyes like this. All the whites of his eyes were gone, replaced by darkness. Then Ace closed his eyes.

Rakki was shocked and whispered, "They say that dark magic is the power that comes from the abyss. Now it seems that this should be true. ”

Ace "soul manipulation" of a wild mouse. Then quickly climbed to another tree and stood on the trunk looking at the suspicious tree.