Preparation

Two Mage Generals had one divinely handsome young man shackled in cuffs made out of powerful flows of Mana. 

The generals actually needed to continually fuel these magical cuffs in order to not give this criminal the slightest chance to escape. 

The Mage generals' expressions were focused, unable to not take the situation at ease. 

The criminal shackled in cuffs looked completely unperturbed about everything. As if his walking on the path to death was merely a minor issue. 

Right next to this group was a person Ervin saw not too long ago. 

Chen Xun had her usual determined expression as she marched right up to them, boldly declaring, "Is it really necessary to just lock him up in a cell instantly? He's just a young Non-Mage! How can it be so simple that he killed a real Mage?" 

"So simple?" The young man lightly chuckled. His voice came out incomparably smooth, melodic like a beautiful signer. " Give me the chance to kill that bastard and I will always do it again. I have no regrets." 

"You..." Chen Xun's eyes slightly widened, almost believing what she heard was fake. She looked deep into the young man's eyes but truly couldn't see any trace of regret or panic. 

The Mage General next to her coldly said, "Even when he's going through a trial, his own admission of the truth can't be argued against along with other damning evidence. Miss Xun, I am sorry, but we need to continue taking him away." 

With those words, Chen Xun stepped to the side, still a bit dazed by the young man's rather blunt words. His words stormed through her mind; a bit confused about just how the young man could feel so calm about committing murder. 

It's not as if she doesn't know that there are situations where people are forced to kill another human or how others make a mistake in the heat of a moment. But rarely would she ever encounter someone with a complete devoid of emotion about death, even seemingly taking some sort of glee over the act of killing. 

Killing, from how she grew up and the people she interacted with, is typically seen as a morally grey issue with no definitive right or wrong answer. The value of any human life isn't supposed to be treated causally in the slightest. 

With these thoughts wrestling her mind, Chen Xun didn't notice that her steps led her to accidentally bump right into somebody's back. 

"Ah." She was a bit startled, jolting herself out of her mind. She looked up to notice that she had somehow ended up in the library section of the lobby and was now looking into a decent, if not slightly plain face. 

That face of course belongs to Ervin.

Chen Xun shook her head, offering a faint beautiful smile to get the heart running as she said, "I'm sorry. My mind is just, in a slight mess from that situation...you did see it, right?" 

"The young man? Yes, it's not often you see a Non-Mage getting taken with quite a force behind them." Ervin calmly said. 

Chen Xun's eyes seemingly glisten from Ervin's answer. Her tone got more amped up, and she felt a surge of emotion run through her mind. "Right! I can't help but feel something's wrong here. I mean, killing just because he wanted to do it and without any hesitation to do it again? That sounds completely ill." 

Most others would be inclined to agree with Chen Xun's assessment. Mage Enforcers especially wouldn't be able to find any reasons to disagree since they pride themselves on upholding justice for the common people. 

Chen Xun expected to see a similar kind of reaction in Ervin, the same amount of unwilling fierceness she has over this strange situation, why wouldn't he feel the same way? 

However, to her surprise, Ervin's face stayed calm with the same faint smile. There truly weren't any surging tides of emotions running through him, or this calling to speak out against this situation. 

He simply said, "Is that so? I find that young man a little bit interesting in my eyes." 

As he spoke, he returned searching through the shelves for that specific book that would help him obtain a goal that Chen Xun was completely unaware of. 

"Eh?" Chen Xun momentarily blinked. She nearly couldn't believe her ears. "Interesting? I mean...I can understand that the situation is certainly unusual. But what makes a young man so willing to kill and without any hesitation so interesting?" 

"Simply because he had a goal in mind, and he took the appropriate steps to achieve it despite the heavy consequences. No matter what other says, he's perfectly fine in accepting his own actions. Perhaps his thoughts could change when faced with more extreme situations or faced with death, but being able to walk down this road without any regret is quite interesting to me." Ervin calmly explained. 

He didn't care enough to see that Chen Xun genuinely paused at his words, staring into the side of his face with a deep gaze. 

All Ervin cared about was finding the right book. He soon found it only seconds later, the title of the book being 'Preparing for the Inner Area.' 

With the book in hand, Ervin didn't take a second look back at Chen Xun. He headed directly towards the receptionist to take the book out. 

During this entire time, Chen Xun lowered her head in deep thought. Those words of Ervin parroted around her mind like a ringing bell, making her simply think about the concept of enjoyment. 

She tried to understand but she was having some difficulty in doing so. After all, taking another human life isn't anything anyone can treat lightly, she couldn't image herself having zero regrets after killing somebody even if the situation called for it. 

But more than just killing, Chen Xun felt Ervin's words were implying that simply finding things to enjoy despite how others would judge it was something more positive than negative. 

Given the topic of their situation, Chen Xun couldn't help but think Ervin was more so referring to even criminal activities than hobbies to enjoy that are not hurting anyone. 

Chen Xun believed that there should be a line to draw when wanting to enjoy oneself. She looked up to speak with Ervin again, but he had already left the general lobby. 

Chen Xun spread her magical sense to pick up on Ervin's life aura. The power of an Adept Mage can cover a far distance while also being very distinct. And yet, Ervin's life aura wasn't anywhere inside or even close to the estate. 

'Hmm...oh well.' Chen Xun shook her head. 

If she sees him again, she would like to bring up the topic, but this wasn't an issue she wasn't going to lose sleep over. There were many more important things for her to do at this moment. 

... 

Time swiftly passed. 

Hours later it was on the verge of night hitting Lightwall City. 

Ervin at this time was rereading one specific page in the 'Preparation For The Inner Area book.' Because he didn't want a single accident to occur, Ervin was very careful in choosing what Demonic Beasts he could realistically attack without running out of Mana reserves quickly. 

There were numerous terrifying Demonic Beasts out in the Inner Area. Many of them hold an extreme amount of Mana power and unique Innate Skills that could spell death for even Advanced Mages in a single instant. 

The book was not small by any stretch of the imagination. The higher-order Mages who created this book clearly wanted the Mage Enforcers to be the most prepared they could possibly be. 

And it was finally after hours of reading that Ervin came upon a perfect Demonic Beast, he could lure in without having to waste his Mana reserves. 

The Demonic Beast in question was called the Crystal Ice Gorilla. 

Among many other Demonic Beasts, this one, in particular, is noted as avoid at all costs even if the Patrol Team consisted of genius Advanced Mages at the Late Stage. These beasts have a variety of abilities and innately terrifying defenses that make them seem nearly impossible to kill for geniuses Advanced Mages.

And genius Advanced Mages typically have Mana prowess that can fight higher stages, along with a variety of arts and Innate abilities that can instantly end any battle.

Ervin chose this beast for a reason in particular. 

This demon has a specialty compared to other demons in the fact that its own blood violently crazes the purity of Mages with more powerful bloodlines.

It doesn't have to be a Mage with an insane bloodline inheritance, such as having an Innate legendary beast bloodline or a bloodline from an ancient human ancestor once considered a god. But more of a bloodline with a greater amount of magical essence permanently fused into their bloodstreams, causing a great enhancement to every aspect of their bodies. 

These bloodlines are what separate the common people from the Noble Families. Even Robert and Caryla had far purer bloodlines than what Ervin had when he first became a Mage. 

These purer bloodlines drive Crystal Ice Gorilla to go insane, making these beasts want to devour the nearest human in that vicinity. 

Luck would be needed to even draw a Crystal Ice Gorilla out, but thankfully, the book details the areas they're most spotted in so that other Mage Enforcers could specifically avoid going down such routes.