Phoenix Warrior of Full-Time Magister

Chapter 5 Golden Feathers

Yunhua thought for a moment, "As the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat. Logically, I should avoid it, but I know the instructor is definitely not that kind of person, so let me satisfy my curiosity."

Zhan Kong chuckled after hearing this, "I thought you were a decent person, Yun Hua, but I didn't expect you to be so glib. Alright! Then I'll satisfy your curiosity."

"May I borrow your sword?"

Once a magical artifact is bound, it cannot be used by others. Although Zhan Kong cannot use the Flame Slash from before, he only needs the sharpness of the sword itself.

After Zhan Kong took the sword, he twirled it, the blade cutting through the air with a series of whistling sounds.

"May I try it first?"

"Please go ahead."

Zhan Kong moved a ten-centimeter-wide steel plate from elsewhere, then raised the Flame Sword high with both hands and slammed it down. The expected sharp metallic clang did not occur.

Zhan Kong felt as if the sword in his hand was stuck in mud. Although there was some pressure, he could still cut through it smoothly with a little effort. With a clang, the black longsword cut through the thick steel, the tip of the sword went deep into the floor, and the two halves of the iron block were bounced away.

Cuts iron like mud!

"A ten-centimeter steel plate." Zhan Kong picked up two pieces of iron, examined their cross-sections, and found them perfectly smooth. He said strangely, "Even though slave-level demons wear hard horny armor, they probably can't compare to this in terms of hardness."

"It truly is a fine sword!" Zhan Kong couldn't help but exclaim. "I knew this sword was extraordinary when I saw you fighting that giant-eyed blood rat."

"But this sword seems to require close combat? You'd better be careful then, and you'd better get a new one when you have the money."

Yunhua understood Zhan Kong's concerns. Mages were too fragile. Even at the super-rank, they could be killed if a mere servant got close. Close combat was extremely rare, let alone at the initial rank.

At the initial stage, fifty meters is the lifeline. At this distance, a servant-level demon can rush over in about two or three seconds, and a skilled initial-level mage can cast a spell in about the same amount of time, while the distance is exactly fifty meters away.

Therefore, engaging in close combat with a sword at a beginner level is like a child playing with a knife, walking on the edge of death, with a very low margin for error.

"I will be careful, but my family has practiced martial arts for generations, and I will probably develop in the direction of melee mage in the future, so I think it is quite suitable for me."

Seeing Yunhua's insistence, Zhan Kong said nothing more, then raised his Flame Sword and swung it at the giant-eyed rat on the ground.

"Wait a moment!"

Just as Zhan Kong was about to make his move, Yun Hua suddenly remembered something and called for Zhan Kong to stop.

"Instructor, should I take a picture and record this? That way, we'll have something to say if anyone asks about it later."

Zhan Kong was somewhat surprised. "I didn't expect you to be so shrewd at such a young age. Don't worry."

Zhan Kong patted his chest, where a badge was glowing, as if recording something. "We have professional equipment."

Then Zhan Kong said nothing more, carefully and slowly slicing open the giant-eyed rat's belly with his sword, and then slit open its stomach.

In an instant, a foul odor filled the air—the smell of blood, rotting food, and the stench of sewers. The combination of these smells made Yunhua feel nauseous.

Zhan Kong remained unfazed, seemingly unaffected, and even calmly emptied his stomach.

Inside were various foods eaten by the giant-eyed rats, common small animals such as cats and dogs, fruits and vegetables, and even a section of a human leg.

However, there doesn't seem to be anything special about it.

Looking at the pile on the ground, Yunhua couldn't help but ask, "Instructor, are you sure this giant-eyed blood rat ate the food?"

Zhan Kong shook his head. "I'm not sure. To be honest, I'm not even sure if there's anything in that secret room. But I'm sure this giant-eyed blood rat is definitely different from the others."

"When we discovered this giant-eyed blood rat, the first thing I did was use the low-level level 2 fire spell, Bone Burning. You know, Bone Burning burns the bones of demons, and the pain it causes is extraordinary. But even though it was hit by my Bone Burning spell, it seemed to feel no pain and escaped through the secret passage it had dug beforehand."

Yunhua nodded. "Indeed, I just broke it into two parts, and it still managed to bite back. This is something that no ordinary giant-eyed rat could do."

"But..." Yunhua glanced again at the pile of garbage on the ground that had been taken out of the giant-eyed rat's stomach.

"It seems there really isn't anything special about it."

"It's also possible that we were a step too late, and the food had already been digested by this giant-eyed blood rat, just like the Earthly Holy Spring."

Zhan Kong pondered for a moment, then looked at Yun Hua. "Young Yun, are you willing to sell us this giant-eyed, bloody rat?"

"what?"

"I can't just leave empty-handed, I need at least some explanation. What if we find something on the corpse?" Zhan Kong said softly at the end.

Yunhua said he didn't care. Anyway, he couldn't handle the giant-eyed rat, so he might as well do a favor and make some money.

"Okay, I'll go back and find someone to carry it away, and I'll also find you a doctor. After all, poison specialists aren't professionals, so you should take your arm to the hospital for a proper check-up."

After saying that, Zhan Kong walked towards Yun Hua's basement and returned the way he came.

……

Cry! Cry!

A few minutes after Zhan Kong left, Yun Hua suddenly heard several bird calls, and not from his ears, but directly from his mind.

Yunhua looked around, but found no birds.

Then Yunhua looked at the giant-eyed rat on the ground with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty. A bold idea surged up in his mind, but he immediately suppressed it.

Yunhua endured the stench and rummaged through the pile of trash she had pulled out, finally finding the only bird-related item: a golden feather.

"Is that you?"

The feather suddenly glowed, as if in response to Yunhua's earlier question, "That's right, it's me."

Yunhua stared intently at the feathers in front of her, noticing details she had missed earlier.

This feather was so clean. It was in the same stomach as everything else, which was covered in demon blood and filth and looked extremely filthy. Only this one had some bright red blood on it, making it stand out from the crowd.

Looking at the blood on it, Yunhua suddenly had a bold guess: "Could this be my blood?"

Yunhua remembered that her hand had been bitten before. Could it be that her blood had flowed from the giant-eyed rat's mouth onto this spot at that time?

Unfortunately, Feather couldn't speak and couldn't tell Yunhua whether his guess was right or wrong.

Looking at the feather, Yunhua knew that time was of the essence and wanted to bind herself to it.

Following the same steps as binding magical artifacts, Yunhua probed into the feather with his mind. Then, the feather transformed into countless points of light, passing through Yunhua's forehead and entering his mental world.

After sensing the feathers in the spiritual world, Yunhua covered his face with his hands, trying to calm himself down, but his trembling shoulders revealed his true thoughts.