Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree-Chapter 564: Hatred

The dawn was breaking outside Maple Hill County City, and the massive Storm Dragon Eagle had already spread its silver-gray wings that covered the sky, restlessly pawing at the ground beneath it. The air was filled with the agitation of the Wind Element and a wild aura.

Duke traveled light, carrying only the necessary personal items and not much luggage.

Beside him stood a lanky, slightly pale boy, none other than Tom.

He wore a coarse cloth garment, somewhat faded from frequent washing, but his eyes were exceptionally bright, burning with determination beyond his age.

He tightly held onto a small bundle, which contained all his belongings and the parchment granted by Duke, recording the Meditation Technique.

Vivian and Earl Hardy and others came to see them off.

"Take care, Duke." Vivian said softly, with a look of reluctance in her eyes.

"Don’t worry, once things are sorted over there, I might return soon for a visit." Duke nodded at her, then turned to Earl Hardy, "Take care of your health, Earl."

Perhaps soon, he should be addressed as Duke.

Earl Hardy, looking healthy and vibrant, waved a hand with a smile: "Go, Duke, don’t worry about us, you have more important things to handle."

Duke said no more, and with a light leap, he landed steadily on the wide and familiar back of the Storm Dragon Eagle.

He looked down at Tom: "Climb up."

Tom took a deep breath, a trace of nervousness flickering in his eyes, but what prevailed was resolve.

He awkwardly grasped a drooping feather of the Storm Dragon Eagle, and clumsily climbed up, sitting carefully behind Duke.

"Hold on tight." Duke reminded, and then moved with his mind.

"Screech—!"

The Storm Dragon Eagle let out a long, wild cry, filled with power, and its massive wings suddenly flapped, stirring up dust and grass clippings everywhere. Its enormous body soared upward, swiftly breaking through the clouds and shrinking Maple Hill County and the people seeing them off into models beneath their feet.

Compared to the relatively smooth, cold flying experience on a winged serpent, the Storm Dragon Eagle’s flight was wilder and filled with a sense of power.

The fierce wind from the high-speed flight cut like knives, and if not for the simple wind protection shield Duke had already set up, Tom might have been unable to open his eyes.

Every flap of the Storm Dragon Eagle’s wings carried thunderous strength, and its body bobbed up and down, giving one a genuine sense of the thrill of flying and the majesty of the sky monarch.

Initially, Tom was scared white, gripping tightly to the tough feathers of the dragon eagle beneath him, but soon, fear was replaced by an indescribable excitement and awe.

He looked down to see the ground below as if it were a vast canvas, with mountains, rivers, and towns shrinking to insignificance.

Even though it wasn’t his first time riding the Storm Dragon Eagle, it still left him deeply impressed.

They flew over the long shoreline of Florence Continent, entering that vast sea once again.

Viewing the ocean from the Storm Dragon Eagle’s back presented a different scenery.

The ocean below seemed like an immense, forever flowing deep blue gemstone surface, occasionally rippling like creases due to large sea currents or deep-sea demons’ activities.

Sunlight streamed unobstructed, reflecting brilliantly off the sea surface, blurring the boundary at the far sea-sky junction as if leading to another world.

Tom was dumbfounded; coming from inland Bessam County, he had never seen such magnificent sights.

This immense ocean temporarily washed away the gloom in his heart, making him realize the vastness of the world, far exceeding the comparison to their tiny Bessam County.

The flight continued for several days, with the Storm Dragon Eagle tirelessly soaring, passing through clear skies and rain clouds.

When the land’s outline again appeared in the distance, growing clearer to reveal Appalachian Continent’s terrain, the long-silent Tom finally gathered the courage to ask the question buried deep in his heart.

His voice was faint amidst the wind, yet carried a slight tremor: "Duke... I... I heard the people in the county saying that the Void Insect Race has been driven back. Have they... have they been completely annihilated? Will they never return?"

Hearing this, Duke slightly turned his head, gazing at the boy’s eyes filled with anticipation yet shadowed by fear.

After a brief silence, he replied: "Driven back does not mean annihilation. We’ve only destroyed their bridgehead invading the Wizard Plane. The Void Insect Race... like locusts in the universe, they continue to roam and devour across the Endless Plane."

This news struck Tom like a bolt of thunder in his ears.

The color drained from his face instantly; his body swayed slightly, his eyes losing light, swallowed by endless darkness and hatred.

He fiercely clenched his hands resting on his knees, nails nearly digging into his palm, his thin frame trembling with intensity of emotion.

Not annihilated... those monsters that devoured his parents, destroyed his home, causing countless nightmares, still existed, continuing their destructive ways somewhere unknown.

After a few seconds of dead silence, Tom abruptly raised his head, his originally clear eyes now burning with unsettling fire, filled with grueling hatred and near-obsessive resolve.

"Duke! I understand... they’re not all dead... they’re still here!" He nearly roared, "I will become stronger! I will definitely become stronger than anyone else! I will become the most powerful wizard! Someday, I will find them, find all the Void Insect Race! I will wipe them out... wipe them off this world completely! Not one left!"

This vow was not like something a boy would utter, but more like the blood-cry of an injured young beast filled with destructive force.

The intense hatred and determination even seemed to momentarily pause the surrounding whistling wind.

Duke watched Tom’s face, twisted by hatred yet unyielding with resolve, without offering comfort or denying his hatred.

In this cruel world, sometimes hatred is indeed the strongest force motivating someone to keep going.

Tom’s words might seem naive and laughable to many because Tom doesn’t even know the level of existence the Void Insect Race belongs to, which is why he would say to completely wipe out the Void Insect Race.

Even the current Wizard Plane can’t do this, let alone Tom, who is just a Third-class Wizard Apprentice.

But Duke did not ridicule him; how far Tom can go will entirely depend on him.

If Tom can achieve something, that naturally would be best, and Duke would have an extra ally.

If not, he could casually assign Tom somewhere later, perhaps even directly canceling the Slave Contract to free up the Spiritual Power quota occupied by the Slave Contract.