The Hero Turned Into A Potato And The World Fell To Ruin

The group stayed for about a week.

During this week, Liu Ji felt as if he were reliving the final hundred days before the college entrance exams.

Never before had he been so grateful for having endured that period of intense study, for without it, he wasn't sure he could have survived this grueling schedule.

Fortunately, he made it through, never once complaining about the hardship or fatigue, and he didn't let Yaine down.

Well…

At least, that's what Liu Ji believed.

In truth, he hadn't let Yaine down. But at the same time, he had greatly disappointed her.

After all, their lessons were one-on-one. It wasn't the sort where the teacher hands out a set of worksheets, then goes off to fiddle with their phone. This was intensive, hands-on teaching. As exhausting as it was for Liu Ji, it was even more tiring for Yaine.

Out of pride and a strict sense of self-discipline, as long as Liu Ji didn't ask for a break, Yaine couldn't bring herself to suggest one either.

She had hoped countless times that Liu Ji would request a rest, but the latter stubbornly pushed on, forcing her to do the same. By the end of the week, both of them were sporting dark circles under their eyes.

Of course, the hard work started to pay off.

Besides incantation, Liu Ji had now learned some basic conversational skills in the common language. However, unlike incantation, these new language skills required constant practice to retain, so he hadn't made as much progress as he would have liked in just a week.

But when it came to magic, Liu Ji's progress was remarkably fast. In the span of seven days, he had grasped seven different spells.

While these were all basic water spells, and some were merely variants of each other, this achievement was still something to be proud of.

These spells were primarily for practice and had limited practical applications. Mainly, they could be used for washing stuff or temporarily soothing wounds.

However, during this process, Liu Ji learned something essential—extending his will to control fluids.

This was the foundation of water magic, and he spent the first three days focused solely on this.

In fact, most people would take much longer to grasp these concepts, usually weeks or even months.

Liu Ji's rapid mastery wasn't due to extraordinary talent but rather his unique ability to transform into a water elemental spirit.

Practicing in this form made the process significantly more efficient than for the average person. Challenges that others struggled with were almost non-existent for Liu Ji in his water elemental form, and by following Yaine's instructions, he easily picked things up.

Guoguo, who had been at the side listening in without understanding, found this hard to accept and vehemently remonstrated.

She had long resigned herself to struggling with incantation, but learning to control water element had taken her three months, while Liu Ji managed it in just three days.

This imbalance left her feeling disheartened, and she sulked in the corner.

Osar and Girunini tried to comfort her, assuring Guoguo she wasn't alone in her struggle since they couldn't grasp the concepts either.

Of course, these two had no intention of trying to learn it.

Meanwhile, Mervant and Calidora spent the week enjoying their downtime, often venturing into the mine to dig. However, they never seemed to bring back much, raising suspicions about what they were actually doing down there.

In contrast, Shelo, who took a different route into the mine, was genuinely there to dig. Every day, she hauled out two or three carts of high-quality crystals. By the end of the week, she had amassed a substantial haul.

In terms of their goal to earn money, Shelo had likely already achieved her objective while the group had yet to reach the next city.

But looking at her luxurious mithril armor…

It was clear that from the beginning, her standards for earning money were on a different level entirely.

As for Nox, this week was particularly challenging.

As he had anticipated, the city had fallen into decay for far too long, and rousing the elderly was almost impossible. As for the children, hope lay only in those of a similar age to young Chick. Only when they held power might the city's situation improve.

Nox couldn't stay forever. In one week, there wasn't much he could help Chick with. He could only help Chick select some personnel to establish a basic team, teach him some staff, and leave behind some materials to learn from.

Beyond that, the rest would be up to Chick himself.

After he was done, Nox returned to the mine to join the others for a meal and presented the maps he had gathered from the city. Then, the next day, he left a letter for young Chick and departed with the group.

Their next destination was the hunting haven of Mir City.

————

————

On a cliff at the edge of the desert, a squad of twelve had made it all the way up.

Staring ahead at the lush, verdant forest that lay before them, they paused, exchanging no words as they spread out in silence.

Then, without any hesitation, they began to clear the grass, tracing an intricate pattern into the earth. Their movements were synchronized, almost as if they were a single entity, and it wasn't long before an elaborate and ornate magic circle emerged on the ground.

Next, one of the warriors drew a blade across his throat. His eyes rolled back as he collapsed to the ground, his blood flowing freely from his neck and seeping into the grooves of the array. The lines of the magic circle began to fill with his blood, yet it was clear that just this one sacrifice was insufficient.

The other warrior turned to look at one of the shield guards. They exchanged a brief look before the shield guard cast aside his shield, removed his chest plate, and offered his neck.

Without a moment's hesitation, the warrior swung his axe, severing the shield guard's head in a single stroke.

Blood sprayed into the circle, further saturating its intricate patterns. Yet still, the lines appeared faint.

A scout stepped forward, his curved dagger already poised at his own throat. He dropped to his knees, letting his life's blood drain into the thirsty magic circle.

Finally, the magic circle seemed satiated, its crimson lines glowing with an unearthly light.

Two mages and two priests stepped forward to the four corners of the circle, lifting their staffs high as they began to chant in incantation.

Torrential magic surged from their bodies, far beyond the norms of any spell they had cast before. A luminous white light began to coalesce within the circle, growing steadily larger.

But as the light expanded, so too did its demand for power. The magic power from the mages and priests were drained at a terrifying speed.

The priests, who had less magic to offer, visibly paled and started bleeding from their noses. Soon, blood dripped from their eyes, then ears, until finally, with a dreadful pop, blood erupted from their seven orifices, and they crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

The remaining mages felt the pressure intensify, and it wasn't long before they succumbed to the same fate. Even in death, the circle continued to draw the last vestiges of magic from their bodies, draining every drop it could find.

When the light reached its zenith, a figure emerged from within.

It was a woman, clad in a splendid white robe, a pristine cape flowing behind her. Her long, dark hair cascaded down her back, giving her an air of elegance and intellect.

Stepping out of the light, she surveyed the corpses and the few survivors who remained. With a flick of her wrist, the twelve squad members exploded, their bodies dissolving into pools of blood that flowed back into the circle's patterns.

"Ah, the king's intuition was right. There's truly more to this desert than meets the eye…" she mused softly, stepping toward the forest.

Behind her, the light of the magic circle glowed brighter, accompanied by a sound that resonated through the air—a rhythmic marching, as if a battalion was assembling from the depths of the magic circle.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!