Chapter Two: Inscriptions

After finishing the thirtieth “Explosion” inscription, Qi Xiao finally decided to stop. In high spirits, he gazed at the encroaching night, took out the food he’d previously gathered, and enjoyed a satisfying meal. Although he wanted to test the power of his inscriptions, it was too late now; the light and noise might attract enemies, so it was better to wait until morning.

Activating the “Concealment” inscription, his body gradually blended with the color of the tree behind him. Even in daylight, he would be hard to spot without careful scrutiny, let alone at night. After setting traps around his resting place, Qi Xiao leaned against the tree and drifted into sleep.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already daytime. He had slept lightly through the night and didn’t rest well, but it was still a respite, and his energy had recovered considerably.

Today, he planned to make more medicine, after which he could start collecting badges. In the film, the protagonist was “snatched” by another faction at the end of the recruitment trial, but the whole competition process had played out, so Qi Xiao had some understanding of the details. At the time, he’d complained about why the filmmakers bothered to show the entire survival process if the protagonist didn’t end up joining that faction. Now, however, he could only regret that there hadn’t been more footage—most of the daily non-combat segments had been skipped.

None of the newcomers here had officially begun meditation training, so even the strongest were just those with well-trained bodies and bloodlines, or perhaps minor abilities awakened during their initiation. It was unlikely they could withstand his barrage of explosions. Still, he had to be wary of the local inhabitants. Although this place was for selecting new recruits and not just a playground for a wizard’s twisted amusement, wizards periodically checked for beasts achieving higher ranks, so there shouldn’t be any magical beasts lurking about. Yet his physical body was still too frail; if a wild creature adept at stealth attacked him, no amount of firepower would save him.

He tested each type of inscription: the “Shield” inscription conjured a thin protective film over his body, but it dissipated after half a minute, so it couldn’t be kept active constantly. The “Speed” inscription summoned a breeze beneath his feet, making walking and running lighter and faster; it lasted about twenty minutes. The “Flame” inscription produced fire within a three-meter radius of its mark. Finally, he tried the “Light” inscription, which simply emitted a faint glow and nothing else. Qi Xiao prepared two just in case he suddenly found himself in darkness.

For maximum effect, all these inscriptions were single-use only. The material quality of the carriers was too poor—a simple plank of non-magical wood couldn’t withstand repeated use. He re-carved the inscriptions he’d used in testing, as well as those he planned to test, satisfying his compulsive need for order. Then he took out an “Explosion” inscription, lightly scored the back with his dagger, and hurled it forcefully.

Boom!

To avoid attracting enemies, Qi Xiao had waited until all other tasks were done before testing the “Explosion” inscription. Shielding himself from flying dirt and debris, he was thoroughly satisfied with the effect. Donning his backpack, he left the site. Now he had fifty “Explosion” inscriptions, five “Shield” inscriptions, ten “Speed” inscriptions, five “Flame” inscriptions, and a single “Light” inscription.

Confidence buoyed him as he hummed a tune, searching for the herbs he needed. The founder of this recruitment trial probably encouraged contestants to use their knowledge to solve problems, for Qi Xiao found the ingredients for medicine quite easily. Many of the herbs even had healing properties raw, without needing to be processed.

Lacking glass bottles, he couldn’t conveniently make potions, so he sorted the herbs by proportion, crushed them, and fashioned them into pills for internal use and ointments for external application.

“He even knows alchemy?” Though Franka had grown somewhat numb with shock, she couldn’t help but sigh.

“Well, the recording’s already been sent to the Master of the Vault, so let them do as they please.” Yara, lying lifelessly on the sofa beside her, listlessly painted her nails.

“I’ve heard that Lord White detests that title. He’s petitioned many times to change the organization’s name, but the ancestral spirits have never approved it.” Hulk’s real body had already gone to secretly protect Qi Xiao, leaving behind only his image, which gossiped in a hoarse voice.

Yara snorted. The All-Souls Hidden Vault had considerable territory in all three main wizarding planes and had produced many legends. Its reputation spanned myriad worlds; how could its name be changed so easily?

Qi Xiao walked in one direction for nearly ten minutes before glimpsing a human silhouette in the distance. It was the first time since arriving in this world that he’d seen another living person. His eyes lit up. He activated a “Speed” inscription and hurried after the figure. The stranger, noticing Qi Xiao’s swift approach, did not retreat but instead charged straight at him.

The two closed the distance quickly, soon able to see each other’s faces. As Qi Xiao approached, he sized up his opponent: the youth stood about 170 centimeters tall, with a sturdy build but a still-young face.

Qi Xiao didn’t hesitate. He threw a wooden plank inscribed with “Explosion” in a spinning arc with all his strength. The burly youth, not yet sure who his opponent was, saw the plank flying toward him and instinctively drew his blade to slash at it.

Boom!

The youth took the full blast head-on, sent flying five meters away, his whole body scorched, limbs twitching.

“Oh… that…” Qi Xiao hadn’t expected anyone to try to split the board directly—after all, it wasn’t moving that fast and there was plenty of room to dodge. He would still have suffered some blast damage, but nowhere near as much as taking it head-on.

Qi Xiao hurried to the youth’s side. Seeing that he could still struggle to his feet, he breathed a sigh of relief. Though this was touted as a death match, he’d only just arrived in this world; his mindset hadn’t fully adapted yet.

Qi Xiao had already considered the prospect of killing—after all, this was the cruel wizarding world, and being too kind would be fatal. Still, he reasoned that if he truly needed to kill, it should be someone with whom he had an enmity. Although he and the youth were competitors, they had no personal feud…

Though a little anxious, he kept a cold expression. He shoved a pill into the youth’s mouth, forcing him to swallow it, and squatted beside him, saying coldly, “You must have realized by now that I’m an alchemist. What you just swallowed is a truth serum. If you lie, you will die instantly from the poison. If you don’t know something, just say you don’t know. Don’t even think about lying. Understand?”

The burly youth, still dazed from the explosion and wracked with pain, stared at this demon in terror and could only nod.

“What’s your name?”

“Brian Holt.”

“Age?”

“Fifteen.”

“Gender?”

“…Male.”

“What’s that in the sky called?”

“The… sun?”

Qi Xiao took out a piece of bread. “What is this?”

“Bread… uh, I won’t lie. If you have questions, just ask directly.”

“Less nonsense. What year is it now?”

“June 2nd, 4820.”

“What’s the first rule of transactions between wizards?”

“The principle of equivalent exchange.”

“How many badges do you have?”

“Three.”

“Good. At least you’re honest. By now, the drug’s effect has spread throughout your body. I’ve spent the past days making tools and haven’t interacted with anyone. Tell me what’s going on here—keep it brief.”

“It’s been three days, and quite a few people have been eliminated. The strongest here is rumored to be called Von; he already has over twenty badges. There’s also a woman named Laura, who apparently can manipulate elements and is also very formidable. I don’t know much else.”

After gathering more information, Qi Xiao had planned to take his badges, toss him a pill, and leave. But just as he was about to go, he suddenly recalled the conditions for his system’s reward.

A lightbulb went off in his mind. Retracting the hand holding the pill, Qi Xiao changed his question: “Brian, are you willing to exchange your three badges for this pill?”