Magic Was Dead Until I Returned

Chapter 007

It was a dark night. A few stars twinkled in the sky.

Becky lowered her head. She had roamed through two streets. She could not help but look back and see Linden closely following behind her. He tried to explain things to her from time to time. The rage in her heart eventually subsided.

Actually, Linden genuinely cares about me, the girl pondered in her heart.

"Linden, I already told you!" She continued to scold him. "Please stop following me around! I'm not going to forgive you."

"I didn't do anything that needed apologizing!" Linden was speechless. Why had Becky's words made him sound like he had let her down?

"How dare you say that when you went out looking for other women! I want to break up with you." Becky screamed angrily.

She spun her head around and gave Linden a cold stare.

Becky happened to cast a glance behind Linden, and noticed several figures following them, sneakily.

"Go!" Seeing that they had been discovered, one of the men with a hammer rushed up to them and aimed for the back of Linden's head.

"Linden, behind you! Watch out!" Becky shouted in a panic. She dashed over subconsciously, attempting to deflect the hit.

Linden felt a warmth in his heart again. He realized that Becky was a girl who was firm in speech but soft in heart.

Though this girl, who grew up together with him, claimed that she wanted to break up with him, she still rushed out desperately when he was in danger. Linden decided to engrave this friendship fondly in his heart.

Swoosh!

A strong wind whizzed through his ears.

"Hmph! These guys finally made a move!" Linden's eyes glowed with a hint of hostility.

Lately, he had been focusing on his magic meditation. The amount of spiritual power he accumulated was different from average people. There was no need for him to look at his back because he already knew someone was ambushing him from behind.

He dodged easily by tilting his body to the side. He raised his knees and knocked the attacker who ambushed him to the ground.

"Nice move!"

"Is this kid a warrior?"

When Henry and Vulture saw this, they were taken aback. They had not seen this coming!

Linden appeared to be frail, but he was a skilled fighter. They outnumbered their targets, so they did not have to worry about Linden fleeing. Thus, Linden was surrounded by the gang in no time.

"Hand over the money you won from us at the casino! We'll spare your life!" Henry threatened coldly.

"Casino? Did you visit the casino too, Linden?" When Becky heard this, she was speechless.

Linden had not explained why he had gone to the brothel. She was not expecting him to visit the casino too. She stared at Linden in a daze.

Suddenly, she had the impression that she was not familiar with this boy. In her mind, Linden was a good-hearted young man who did not get involved with illegal stuff like sex, gambling, and drugs.

"I'll explain later."

Linden had Becky behind him and shielded her. The girl was taken aback by his unintentional action.

Wasn't this boy pretty soft in my memory? He likes to hide behind me whenever something bad happens. Why has Linden suddenly become such a reliable man now? He must have done something wrong, and this was his way of making amends to me.

Don't you dream that I'll forgive you for doing this! Becky snorted inwardly.

However, when she considered the current crisis, she suppressed her feelings and took a step forward to stand before Linden.

She said, "Linden, I am a warrior. I don't need your protection; it's you who needs it. You've been practicing diligently since you were a child, but your physical condition is weak due to your serious illness. You haven't achieved the rank of a Class 1 Warrior.

"If you find an opportunity in battle, I need you to flee and ask for help. This is Hartington Fort! These stray dogs from the outside world have no place to bark here!"

Becky took a step forward with amazing momentum. She was a warrior!

According to their strength, a warrior can be classified into nine classes, ranging from Class 1 to 9. Class 1 is the weakest. Class 9, on the other hand, is the most powerful.

Warriors at each level can manifest different types of power. The physical strength of a Class 1 Warrior can reach 450 pounds at its peak. The physical strength of a Class 2 Warrior can reach 900 pounds. A Class 3 Warrior can reach 2,700 pounds in physical strength and cultivate Pyro Energy.

"Haha! I never imagined that I would need a girl to protect me one day." Linden could not help but chuckle when he saw Becky stepping in front of him.

This girl was young, but she had a set of bright and firm eyes. Her short sleeves bulged because of her clenched fists. There was power accumulating in her body that could erupt at any moment.

The glory days of magic are a thing of the past. This was an era that belonged to warriors!

Hah!

Becky suddenly let out a ferocious roar and launched an attack.

"Not bad! Her strength must have been around 270 pounds!"

Linden watched Becky fight the enemies, and he started to have a preliminary understanding of Becky's strength.

Although 270 pounds is the strength that belongs to a Class 1 Warrior, that power is quite decent in and of itself. However, there are still some gaps between them. He thought to himself.

Linden looked at Henry and Vulture. As expected, even though Becky had successfully knocked three of them down, after they fought for a while, she could not hold on for long. This is especially true since Henry and Vulture were both warriors. Clearly, as soon as they launched their attack, their punches were much stronger than Becky's.

Bam! Becky took a step back from the punches. Her arms went numb. She realized that she was not cut out to fight these people.

"I'll distract them!" she yelled at Linden as she became a little desperate. "You need to run now! Why are you still standing there? Are you scared?" Becky was a little anxious when she noticed Linden not moving.

"My father is nearby! You can go to him and ask for help!" Becky yelled at Linden again.

Linden, however, remained motionless no matter how loudly she yelled. His reaction only added to her anxiety. She was cursing Linden in her heart. Was he in shock?

She should have expected it, and should not have had high hopes for him. Since he was a child, Linden has always been the same. He was timid and overly cautious, and he lacked physical strength. He must have been terrified when they came across such a gang of criminals.

What should she do at this point? Should she scream aloud? However, this was such a remote location! No one would hear her, no matter how loudly she yelled.

"I'm Becky Carter! The eldest daughter of the Carters. Next to me is Linden Crest, the son of the Crest family. This is Hartington Fort! If you attack us, you're going against the Carters and the Crests!"

After realizing she could not beat their opponent, Becky revealed her family's name. She had intended to use her family's reputation to subdue her foe. After all, this was Hartington Fort. Everyone who heard the Crest family's name had to show them some respect.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Becky finished her statement, instead of showing fear, Henry and Vulture became even more excited.

"The Carters and the Crests! Such a wonderful cash cow! If we kidnap the both of you, I wonder how much your noble families are willing to pay for your ransom?" Henry said, pulling a glimmering cold dagger from his pocket and licking the tip of the blade.

Vulture removed his shirt, revealing a tattoo of a red wolf's head on his chest.

"The Crimson Wolves!"

Becky's complexion turned gloomy as she saw the tattoo on Vulture's body.

Her father had used to tell her about the Crimson Wolves who had recently wandered around Hartington Fort. He warned her to be cautious, but she had not expected to run into them.

"The Crimson Wolves are a gang that loots, burns, and kills wherever they go. They are thugs who commit all kinds of crimes. It's pointless to try and reason with them."

Becky was well aware that the two of them had come across a gang that was difficult to deal with at the time.

"Linden, you need to quickly run away!"

Knowing that it was a dangerous situation, Becky urged Linden again.

Linden stood motionless to one side, like a wooden puppet. Becky was enraged, and she cursed in a low voice, "Linden! Remember that you are a man. You'd better buckle up because I'm about to launch an attack, and you'd want to take the chance to flee. There is only one chance, and you have to make the most of it! Go find someone to rescue me after you have escaped; whether or not I'll survive is entirely dependent on you."

This gang of thugs was made up of ruthless men who lived dangerous lives. Even if she tried her hardest to cooperate, when a young girl like her fell into their hands, things would not end well for her. She would be better off fighting hard rather than risk being humiliated by them. She still had a chance to survive if Linden could find a way to flee and ask for help.

"Linden, don't let me down!" Becky returned her gaze to Linden. She clenched her teeth and rushed forward, not waiting for Linden to respond.

She was suddenly pulled back by a hand. The strength was so overwhelming that she did not even have a chance to fight back; it dragged her back like a little bird.

Linden had stepped in front of her once more.

"Leave it to me!" His voice was light, but the meaning of his words was simple and clear.

"Linden, now is not the time for you to show off…"

Becky was sweating anxiously. She could not help but want to scold Linden once more, but she saw a figure dash out halfway through.

Linden had moved!

"He's so fast!"

Becky was shocked.

The speed at which Linden rushed out just now was clearly at the level of a Class 1 Warrior, which came as a surprise to Becky. What surprised her even more was the fact that Linden, who had just rushed out, was not at a disadvantage when fighting the Crimson Wolves.

At least five of these Crimson Wolves thugs are Class 1 Warriors. How can Linden take on five Class 1 Warriors on his own? It looks like he can predict the enemy's moves, dodging and countering them in advance!

His eyes!

Becky saw a light flashed through Linden's eyes, and was unsure if it was just an illusion. It made her grow more curious about Linden. How long had she gone without seeing Linden? How could Linden be so different? What had he been through recently?

On the other hand, as the battle progressed, Henry, Vulture, and others became more disheartened.

"There's something wrong with this kid, Vulture!"

"I'm not sure if it's my imagination, but why do I have a feeling that this kid can predict our moves?"

"It's fine that he can always guess the roll of the dice, but he can also predict our moves. What the hell is with this kid? Could it be…"

Henry and Vulture suddenly thought of what Miss Delia had said in the casino. Both of them were astounded. Could this kid be a sorcerer?

Bam!

After another round, Linden punched them in the chest while Henry and Vulture were distracted.

Spurt!

Both of them spurted out a mouthful of blood. That punch was too powerful!

It possessed at least 450 pounds of power. Despite their bodies having undergone extensive training, they failed to withstand Linden's punch, which landed directly on their chest. Due to the injury, they vomited blood and lost their combat ability.

"As long as you let us go, you can keep the money you won. I swear! Our gang will never pursue you! We can put today's problem behind us!" Henry and Vulture began to beg for mercy.

"I'll keep the money I won and you'll no longer pursue this matter? Are you pleading with me to spare your lives? Write things off?"

As he approached the two, Linden could not help but burst out laughing.

Crack!

He broke Henry's arm by stepping on it, and then he broke several of Vulture's ribs.

"I won the money in the casino with my own ability," he said coldly. "How could you take my money and ask me to spare your life by negotiating with me? You two even talked about writing things off? Are all members of the Crimson Wolves so innocent and adorable?"

"What do you want?"

Cold sweats broke out on both of their foreheads.

"A gold coin in exchange for a life! Do the math and figure out how many people are here!" Linden commanded coldly.

Henry and Vulture counted. There were twelve people here, but they were reluctant to spend twelve gold coins to buy everyone's life.

"I have two gold coins with me! I'll pay for my life and Vulture's! You can kill the rest."

Henry took out two gold coins from his pockets.

The rest of the thugs had been temporarily recruited by him and Vulture after they arrived at Hartington Fort. Those men were not exactly the official members of the Crimson Wolves. Henry and Vulture did not care about their lives or deaths.

"Mr. Henry, you recruited us and we have put our lives on the line to serve you!"

When the rest of the thugs saw this, their hearts were filled with hatred.

"Bah! Do you consider yourself worth a gold coin?" Henry yelled at them.

"You're right! None of their lives are worthy of a gold coin!"

After Linden listened to Henry's words, a wicked smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Why don't we do this? I'll offer a discount! You can use two gold coins to buy all ten of their lives. As for the two of you…"

Linden's eyes turned bitterly cold. "Ten gold coins for each of you!"

"What! Are you toying with us?" Henry flared up when he heard this.

"Arghh!"

Linden broke Henry's leg as soon as he said that. Henry almost fainted from the pain.

Linden had broken one arm and one leg of Henry's in a short time, but he was unconcerned. The looks in his eyes were calm, with no disturbances. The coldness was the only emotion that existed in his eyes.

Linden's cold eyes made Henry feel as if the reaper had locked his gaze onto him.

Henry was terrified. He clenched his teeth and took the money pouch from his pocket, together with Vulture's, with his other hand. "Here are twenty gold coins," he said, as he gathered twenty gold coins and handed them to Linden.

He felt humiliated when he said this because it was something that could have been settled with twelve gold coins, but now he had to take care of it with twenty-two gold coins. Aside from that, his fellow gang members despised them. On the other hand, Linden gets to play the role of a good man.

"Very well!"

Linden took those gold coins, and weighed them in his hand.

The coins made a rattling sound as he shook the bag. It made Henry and Vulture feel like their hearts were bleeding, and their eyes were full of resentment. They lowered their heads in fear when they met Linden's gaze.

"Fuck off! Don't show your face around here again! Otherwise… I'll kill you!"

Linden spoke softly. Those thugs struggled to get up after receiving Linden's pardon and fled the scene quickly. They were afraid that if they left a little late, Linden would rethink his decision. After leaving, the look in their eyes changed again.

We'll get our revenge on the Crests!

…

Seeing those thugs leave, Linden put away the gold coins.

In addition to the thirty gold coins he had won at the casino, he had more than fifty gold coins in his hand. He made a pretty decent amount of money tonight, but as soon as he turned around, he noticed Becky staring at him in a complicated way.

"Were you… serious about killing them just now, Linden?"