007 Roll On! Bewitching Potion

Being cornered by warriors or assassins is a fatal weakness for all mages, but she was never just a simple mage.

Clutching her wooden staff, she emptied her purse and hurled all her possessions in one breath. Flaming stones struck several foes, igniting their collars and forcing them to shield their arteries as they desperately fought the flames. Explosive stones found their marks, and those seemingly harmless water spheres unleashed unbelievable force; a warrior struck at the temple collapsed, unmoving. The powder she used to escape unpaid meals proved invaluable—she mixed it with her water magic, sending the drug-laced water curtain straight into faces, leaving many unconscious on the spot.

Her display clearly surprised everyone. From Erika’s furrowed brow and Ada’s raised eyebrows, it was obvious. Erika, watching her handle the situation with ease, was visibly displeased. “Even such lowly tricks managed to defeat you all? Pathetic.”

Ada, intrigued, continued, “So many of you can’t handle a random mage I picked? Truly useless!”

Erika, her pride wounded, retorted, “She’s only using some dirty tricks!”

Ada responded with a cheerful grin, “Exactly! If you can't even withstand those dirty tricks—useless!” She repeated the insult, eyes provocatively fixed on Erika.

If anger could ignite someone, Erika would have combusted on the spot. But lacking such ability, she could only glare spitefully at the battling mage and Ada, who watched leisurely.

The surprise tactics worked well, but the rapid barrage of water spheres pushed her to her limits. Knowing she was not of this world and that magic training was difficult for her, she had always approached it with indifference. In over ten years, she’d never practiced seriously, leaving her with pitifully low mental strength and perception. The consecutive water spheres had brought her to her current limit.

What happens when a person’s mental strength falters?

The answer is obvious—even elementary students could tell you with a smirk: “You’ll want to sleep.”

She was now in that state. After forcing out one more water sphere laced with powder, a wave of drowsiness crashed over her; her hand faltered, and her defenses were left glaringly exposed.

A warrior noticed the gap and, excited, hurled his sword straight at her heart.

Jianlu cried out in alarm, “No!”

She snapped awake, trying to dodge, but it was too late. Her body couldn’t match her mind’s speed. Was this how she would die, so unjustly? Thoughts raced through her mind, finally coalescing into one: If there’s another life, I’ll eat well, sleep on time—overwork kills!

Clang!

The sword was stopped by a wall of ice, a mere foot away from her, and fell harmlessly to the ground.

Dazed, she was rescued by a familiar figure. He smiled as kindly as ever, reminiscent of the grandfather in a fast-food ad. “Are you alright, young lady?”

She came to her senses and threw herself into his arms. “Uncle! Save me!”

Yes, this was the very uncle she’d met queuing for the Grant Guard examination, now coming to save the heroine and secure his appearance!

Erika’s gaze darkened at the uncle’s arrival. “So that’s why you’ve grown bolder lately, Ada. You’ve tamed your mistress and even brought in backup. Looks like I’ll have to deal with you once and for all.”

At that moment, a guard closest to Erika stepped forward. He slowly shed his black uniform, revealing a mage’s robe beneath. Raising his massive staff, he swiftly absorbed the surrounding water elements. An intricate magic circle appeared at his feet, its lines filling with water elements, radiating palpable threat.

“Elite Mage Guards are reserved for protecting the Grant family’s precious heirs in critical moments—using them privately is forbidden. Don’t you know that, young lady?” The uncle shielded her behind him.

She tugged nervously at his sleeve. “Uncle, what’s your rank? Can you handle this?”

He patted her shoulder reassuringly, but that only made her more anxious. In the movies, that gesture meant: I’m off to die; you all take care.

Just as she was thinking this, Erika’s elite mage finished his incantation. A gigantic water dragon coiled around his staff. Though made of water, its scales and features were intricately detailed, claws sharp, eyes fierce and cruel, lifelike enough to inspire dread. With a subtle twist of his wrist, he sent the water dragon diving at incredible speed.

She screamed, “Oh my God! A dragon!” and shamelessly dove behind the uncle for cover. Unhurriedly, he raised a water shield. The transparent, crystalline curtain glowed, delicate yet substantial, with water elements woven together like strands of silk—beautiful, orderly, and full of resilience. Compared to her own powder-laced water curtain, the difference was that between a five-star scenic spot and a landfill.

According to the script, the dragon should have crashed into the uncle’s barrier, proving its strength. Instead, it performed a dazzling 360-degree turn, ignored the uncle’s shield, and spiraled toward Ada.

She clearly saw Ada raise her hand to act, but something held her back; she watched as the water dragon lunged. The mages behind Ada rushed to shield her, but their levels were too low and they had no time—some barriers shattered before they were even formed.

If the water dragon had a soul, it would be ecstatic, perhaps hoping its master would reward it with an extra drumstick for dinner.

As the dragon barreled toward Ada, chaos erupted among Erika’s guards. A nondescript guard suddenly dashed at Erika, her body glowing with blinding blue light, face twisted, strength immense. Erika’s warrior guards were tossed aside like cabbages—dead or crippled.

“This is bad! Mage self-destruction!” “Protect the young lady!” Panic consumed Erika’s side.

Meanwhile, the water dragon showed no signs of stopping, charging relentlessly at Ada. The uncle heroically summoned water to strike the ground, using the recoil to catch up with the dragon. His staff radiated cold, and as it swept across the dragon’s body, water instantly turned to ice.

Thud! The massive dragon crashed to earth, and the uncle stood, pale, gasping for breath. Ada escaped death by a hair.

Erika’s troubles were far from over. The self-destructing mage, burning her life force, rushed at Erika. Erika turned to flee but couldn’t outrun the blue-lit maniac. Water bombs pummeled her; the self-destructing mage, covered in blood and wounds, pressed forward, oblivious to pain.

Erika’s guards were stunned. No one expected someone so desperate to kill Erika. Mage self-destruction is powerful but brings immense agony. It means using oneself as a vessel, dispersing all cultivated magic energy, merging every detectable magic element into the body. Without personal energy to fuse them, the elements rampage within, causing agony in every corner of the body. The more elements gathered, the greater the pain—and the more devastating the explosion.

The failure rate is high. If the body succumbs to elemental corrosion too soon, it is devoured, becoming nourishment for the water elements in nature.

Records say that in ancient times, a high-level water mage once self-destructed in the monster’s lair, annihilating it in an instant—humanity won without a fight. Later, many passionate youths tried to emulate this heroic feat, but all failed; not even their bodies remained, lost to pain and unrealized dreams.

The blue light grew brighter, as if to illuminate the entire Grant estate. The self-destructing mage seemed to falter, then lunged straight for Erika. Erika’s pupils widened in disbelief—was this her end?

“Let go of the young lady!” Jianlu, seeing those around scatter in terror, charged at the self-destructing mage in fury. “I won’t let you succeed!”

Her sudden attack caught the self-destructing mage off guard, breaking her path. She reached out to crush the seemingly powerless girl, then hesitated.

Jianlu’s hand trembled. Up close, she clearly saw the self-destructing mage’s face—the shy, introverted girl who loved spicy food and clung to her: Aisha.

Aisha, seeing Jianlu, was at a loss. In her confusion, the pain she’d been suppressing surged violently. Self-destruction tests both mind and body; one misstep and you become nature’s sacrifice.

Water elements flooded Aisha’s body, devouring flesh and organs for sustenance. Her gaze faded. Amidst the agony, she seemed to hear her roommate’s frantic cries—the girl who cared for her like an elder sister—and the distant shouts of the mage. Those voices drew near, then faded away. At last, she seemed to see her father’s face—the long-deceased, always-smiling man who loved spicy food.

“Are you here to fetch me, Papa…?”

Stardust Chronicles 007_007 Roll, Potion! Updated!