A huge thanks to GreenKiTea for the kofis. Enjoy these bonus chapters!

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The Borg Family owned the Borg Chamber of Commerce in Gold Hole City. 

Leslie, the Young Master in charge of the family affairs but with little talent for martial arts, led a leisurely life. Whenever the three of them had free time, they liked to stir up a bit of trouble on their own. 

A few days ago, at a tavern in the city, Leslie listened to a minstrel recount the legendary tale of an adventurer.

He heard that he treated the troubadour to the most expensive wine in the tavern right then and there; after returning home, he was still brimming with excitement, tossing and turning in bed in the middle of the night, lost in the stories the bard had told.

So, without telling his family, he grabbed his childhood companions, Hugh and Annie, and sneaked out of the house. Fortunately, he still had some sense—he knew he was a complete failure, and Hugh and Annie were only vaguely familiar with martial arts.

He spent a fortune hiring Ryan, a second-tier swordsman from the Adventurers’ Guild, to serve as their bodyguard.

He had no intention of venturing deep into the Black Rock Mountain Range; he just wanted to explore the outskirts a bit to satisfy his thirst for adventure, and having a Second-Tier Swordsman by his side was more than enough.

The life of an adventurer was nowhere near as exciting as the legends made it out to be.

It was monotonous, boring—just good food and a good night’s sleep. Leslie grew tired of it after just a day, so the group turned back home. 

Ryan was a bit unlucky, too.

He’d seen it all too often: rich young masters and young ladies setting out on adventures.

All he had to do was accompany them on a tour of the Black Rock Mountain Range—they wouldn’t be going anywhere dangerous—so he treated it as a vacation and still earned a generous fee.

At first, everything went just as he’d expected—the frail Young Master couldn’t adjust to life in the wild and was clamoring to go home after just a few days. The problem was that his luck suddenly took a turn for the worse on the way back. 

First, they ran into a few second-tier beasts. Ryan held them off, shielding his charges and leading them to a safe escape.

But just as they were catching their breath, they ran into the infamous “Black Goats” of the Black Rock Mountain Range.

The “Black Goat” is a hunting organization that specializes in preying on unsuspecting “sitting ducks.”

Ryan had already tried to avoid them by taking the safest route with his group, but unexpectedly, they’d still set their sights on them.

To protect the dead weight and shake off their pursuers, Ryan used an expensive item—one that was almost worth as much as the entire reward for this mission. 

He told them, “If the Black Goats catch up again, I’ll help you hold them off one last time. After that, you’re on your own.”

He was just a mercenary doing a job for money; escorting them this far was already the very limit of fulfilling his contract—he certainly wasn’t going to risk his own life for them.

With him putting it that way, Leslie knew the situation was dire—there was no point in holding anything back anymore. 

The pampered Young Master began rummaging through his storage items: precious magic scrolls, healing potions, life-saving items… he pulled them all out at once. Among them, a crumpled, dark-yellow piece of paper fluttered to the ground.

Leslie snatched it up, stared at it in confusion for a long moment, then suddenly raised his voice: “I remember now! This belonged to my mother. She said it was a precious heirloom left by my maternal grandfather—something that could save my life in a critical moment!”

However, no matter how he looked at it from every angle, he couldn’t figure out what was so special about this blank piece of paper, or how it could possibly save his life.

After mulling it over and coming up with no other ideas, Hugh speculated, “Young Master, do you think this might be some kind of magic item for making wishes?” No one really knew, but with the situation so urgent, they had no choice but to try anything—even if it seemed like a long shot.

Leslie grabbed a pen and, with the fastest hand speed of his life, quickly wrote down his wish on the paper: May a mighty warrior descend from the heavens and take us away from this godforsaken place! 

Strangely enough, the moment he finished writing, the dark yellow paper spontaneously burst into flames and quickly turned to golden ashes. 

This bizarre scene instantly reignited their hope.

Sure enough, before long, they heard a commotion coming from ahead.

Following the sound, they saw a figure in a mysterious cloak standing against the light. 

The above account comes from Leslie’s narration. He really is quite the chatterbox. 

“Are you a mage?” Leslie asked cautiously, eyeing Qiyu’s attire. He’d been curious ever since he first laid eyes on Qiyu!

Qiyu nodded slightly: “Yes.”

“That’s wonderful,” Leslie sighed with relief. “With a mage accompanying us, I’m sure we’ll make it back to Gold Hole City safely this time.”

Ryan stepped forward.

With his red hair, clad in armor, and carrying a greatsword on his back, he was a towering figure.

“My name is Ryan, a second-rank swordsman.” He greeted Qiyu and asked tentatively, “May I ask your name, Your Excellency, the Mage? I don’t seem to see the badge issued by the mages association on you.”

Qiyu pondered what this “badge issued by the mages association” might be. He straightened up—it seemed to be some sort of token proving one’s identity? 

His gaze swept over Ryan, who was wearing a red badge. The badge bore the emblem of a longsword, and the

He was pointing at “Him,” the mages’ association’s badge—“I don’t have one.” 

Amid the others’ confusion, he channeled his magic, and a Fireball spell erupted suddenly, sending dust flying and blasting a deep crater into the ground ahead.

This undoubtedly confirmed his status as a mage.

Although the wording struck him as a bit odd, Leslie immediately said, “I suppose you haven’t had a chance to go to the mages association for certification yet.”

Ryan relaxed a bit and told him, “There’s a mages association in Gold Hole City. If it’s convenient for you, you can go there to have your status as a mage verified. The mage’s badge serves as proof of your status when you’re out in public, and with it, you can also receive a monthly stipend.”

A stipend? 

Qiyu was immediately intrigued.

He explained, “I’ve been practicing in seclusion all this time—how could I have gone out and learned about these things? Thank you for informing me.” Mages were a rare sight, and legends described them as having all sorts of eccentric personalities, so the group didn’t doubt Qiyu’s words. 

Leslie enthusiastically shared some information about the mages’ association with him and extended an invitation: “If you ever find yourself in Gold Hole City without a place to stay, the Borg Family would be happy to welcome you.”

She took the opportunity to plug her own business: “And if you need to buy anything, the Borg Chamber of Commerce carries the most comprehensive selection of goods in all of Gold Hole City.”

Annie whispered a complaint to Hugh from behind: “Every merchant guild in Gold Hole City brags like that.” Qiyu had sharp ears; upon hearing this, the corners of his mouth, hidden in the shadow of his cloak, curled up slightly.

He felt that this group was quite interesting.

He was looking for an opportunity to ask about the Star Forest when he suddenly sensed something. He turned around, and a curtain of water materialized behind him. Several arrows were stopped by the water curtain and fell limply to the ground. 

Ryan’s expression turned grave. “They’re back.”

No sooner had he spoken than six figures clad in black appeared before them.

They were all clad in black robes and wore masks, making it impossible to see their faces clearly.

“A mage?” The leader seemed somewhat wary of Qiyu. “Esteemed mage, we have no intention of causing you trouble. This is a feud between the Borg Chamber of Commerce and us; we ask that you refrain from intervening.”

“What a coincidence,” Qiyu said indifferently. “I’ve accepted a commission to escort this Young Master and his companions safely out of the Black Rock Mountain Range.” 

Leslie, standing behind him, widened his eyes and said humbly, “I’m not worthy of such honor—just call me Mr. Borg. Of course, it’d be even better if you just called me Leslie!” 

The six men across from them seemed to consult briefly, then the leader spoke up: “Since this esteemed mage has offered to protect him, we Black Goats will do you the honor of granting your request.”

Qiyu, who had already gathered his magical power and was ready for a showdown: ???

Before he could even say a word, he watched helplessly as the six people across from him—who looked cool and deadly—finished their sentence, then all vanished in a flash, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

After a moment of silence, he finally said, “They just left like that?”

Ryan’s tense expression eased. Hearing Qiyu’s words, he burst out laughing and said, “Now I believe you really do get out and about a lot.” He added with a smile, “No matter where you are, no one would dare to easily cross a mage.”

He asked Qiyu, “Do you have a teacher?”

Qiyu: Hmm, how about *Survival Game*? *Elementary Magic Introduction*? *Magic Notes*? Or Grand Archmage Aegnor, who wrote an incredibly comprehensive set of notes for his own study? 

His silence was taken as an acknowledgment.

Leslie explained, “It’s widely believed that the profession of a mage requires extraordinary talent, rigorous training, and mastery of complex and obscure knowledge. Moreover, a mage’s growth consumes vast amounts of resources. Given all of this, it’s virtually impossible to succeed without a teacher to guide you through the basics.” 

“So everyone assumes that behind every young mage stands at least one powerful elder.”

“Moreover, wizards are very united and protective of their own; offending one wizard is like offending the entire community.” 

“If you’ve been wronged here today, the Gold Hole City mages association will certainly see this through to the end.”

Qiyu, who had taught himself the basics: “…So that’s how it is.”

It seems I’ve somehow, out of the blue, gained a powerful backer.