The Mighty Mage
Chapter 510: Solaris-1

Chapter 510: Chapter 510: Solaris-1

"It’s not," Gu Jihu confirmed. "It’s a High Semi God armor, infused with elemental affinity. It won’t just protect you—it’ll help you harmonize better with your elements."

"Not only that, it can also withstand Heaven Rank attack." Mr. Gu said in a soft voice.

"And the best part is that it also has an offensive function, though that can only be used 3 times. The attack can even kill a transcendent stage 1 mage." Mrs. Gu said softly.

Gu Jin was stunned hearing their words. Something inside her cracked at hearing their explanation.

Semi-God defensive artifact?

How many of them exist? Each nation only has 2 to 3 of them!

And even those 2 to 3 belong to the richest family or the government, or the Magic Council Association.

It was not something that a normal, rich family like them could afford.

A single such artifact would cost around $3 trillion!

The Gu Family’s combined net worth doesn’t even exceed $10 billion

She looked down at the armor she was wearing, as if seeing it again for the first time.

The glowing lines along its surface pulsed softly, almost like the armor itself was alive, breathing with her mana.

It didn’t feel heavy or awkward—it felt like a second skin. And yet, she could tell... it held terrifying power.

Gu Jin’s hands trembled slightly.

"This... this is too much," she finally said, her voice shaky. "Something like this... it’s not something we should even have."

Her heart pounded harder as she looked up at her parents.

"Where did you get this? This kind of artifact... only top clans, government sectors, or the Magic Council own such things. Did you... steal it? Sell something? Make a deal with someone dangerous?"

But Mr. Gu gently raised a hand, stopping her.

"We didn’t steal it, Jin’er. And we didn’t sell anything we couldn’t afford to lose," he said with a calm but firm voice.

Mrs. Gu nodded.

"We pooled together everything we had. Some old contacts owed your father favors—big ones. They helped us get it through a private auction.

The seller was in a hurry to sell it... so it wasn’t priced the same as others of its kind."

"But still," Gu Jin muttered, her fists clenched. "This must’ve cost—what? Hundreds of billions?"

"Stop overthinking everything," he said with a grin, though his tone was softer than usual. "You don’t need to know the price. Just wear it and be cool."

Gu Jichun laughed and leaned on Gu Jin’s shoulder. "Yeah, seriously. Think of it as a little gift from all of us. Don’t hurt our pride by asking too many questions, okay?"

Gu Jin blinked, startled by their warmth. She slowly turned her gaze to her parents. Mr. Gu was smiling gently, his arms crossed, while Mrs. Gu’s eyes glistened slightly.

"It’s not just a gift," Mrs. Gu said quietly, stepping forward. "It’s... a piece of our hearts."

Mr. Gu nodded, his voice low and sincere. "We know... we missed out on your first twenty-two years, Jin’er. That’s a lifetime we can never get back."

He paused, his expression tightening.

"You were in an orphanage. You were bullied. You grew up alone, without us. And all that time... we weren’t there to protect you.

To guide you. To love you like we should have. That pain you felt—we feel it now, every day."

Gu Jin’s lips parted, but no words came out. Her throat tightened painfully.

Mrs. Gu gently held her daughter’s hand.

"So this armor, Jin’er... It’s not just for protection. It’s our way of saying sorry. Of trying to give you even a piece of what you should have had all along."

"You... You guys are already the best gift I could ever ask for," Gu Jin whispered.

"You don’t need to give me anything else. Just being here... knowing I’m not alone anymore... that’s more than enough."

Mr. Gu reached up and gently brushed her cheek with his thumb.

"Still, let us do this. If you don’t accept it... we’ll feel guilty. This is the least we can do after all the pain you endured."

Mrs. Gu nodded firmly.

"We missed your childhood. We can’t change that. But from now on, we want to stand beside you. Support you. Cheer for you."

Gu Jichun wrapped her arms around Gu Jin’s waist from the side. "So stop being stubborn and just accept the gift, dummy."

Gu Jihu rolled his eyes, but his voice was unusually gentle.

"Yeah. You’re not the only one allowed to care for others. Let us care for you, too."

Gu Jin stood there, completely still, as their words washed over her.

Her heart, so often cold and guarded, cracked open just a little more.

She finally nodded, her voice soft but clear. "Okay... I’ll accept it."

................

Gu Jin leaves the Gu Family and soon reaches her University.

Everyone from the Gu Family was busy, and hence they couldn’t come to watch her match.

Gu Jin wasn’t surprised.

Each of the Gu Family members was a busy person. Gu Jihu, who owned various hospitals and was a doctor himself, hardly has time.

Mr. Gu and Mrs. had their own business to handle.

While Gu Jichun was busy with her university matters.

It would be a fairytale come true if they had time to come to see Gu Jin’s semester ranking match.

All the students were asked to get seated in the arena owned by Beijing University.

The arena was at least thrice the size of a normal football field, and to make every move of the battle visible all the audience, there was an LED screen in front of each section.

There was also a cooling artifact in each section to ensure that no one would faint from overheating.

The arena buzzed with excitement. Students filled the seats, chatting, laughing, and pointing toward the battle stage in the center.

The sky above was clear, and the energy in the air was electric.

Gu Jin walked into the arena calmly, her steps steady.

Her long black coat flowed behind her, and the high Semi-God armor under it shimmered faintly under the sun.

She looked composed.

Everyone around her noticed.

"Is that... Gu Jin?" someone whispered.

"Yeah. She is the alchemy genius!"

"God, is she going to participate too?"

"Of course, it’s the semester exam. Though she was pardoned from monthly exams, she needs to be present for the semester exam. How long can she use alchemy as an excuse and run away from ranking battles?"

"Indeed. From what I know, she isn’t powerful and was using alchemy as an excuse to run away from the ranking matches."

"Is that so? I thought that she was too powerful and hence was pardoned."

"That is the illusion she wants to create."

"Man, so... Nan Bei was right when she said that Gu Jin is a coward?"

"Might be."

Gu Jin could hear the conversation, but she chose to ignore it. Not like it mattered to her. The time will come, and when they battle, everything will be exposed.

With that thought, she relaxed and waited for her turn.

The first few battles passed quickly, with students showing off their strongest skills—some with flashy spells, others with rare artifacts. Cheers echoed across the arena, and the crowd’s excitement only grew.

But then the announcer’s voice rang out loud and clear:

"Next match: Gu Jin vs. Liu Yuan!"

A hush fell over the arena.

Liu Yuan stepped onto the stage first. He was tall, muscular, and dressed in heavy armor that shimmered with defensive enchantments. A huge sword rested on his back. Known for his brute strength and solid defense, he was ranked in the top 10.

When Gu Jin walked up to face him, people began to murmur again.

"She’s going to get crushed."

"Alchemy won’t help her here."

"She’d better surrender now before she embarrasses herself."

Gu Jin didn’t react. She calmly stepped onto the platform, her expressionless face.

Liu Yuan smirked. "Didn’t expect someone like you to show up. This match will be over quickly. Don’t worry—I won’t hurt you too much."

Gu Jin tilted her head. "You won’t get the chance."

Liu Yuan blinked, then chuckled. "Big words."

The referee raised a hand. "Both fighters ready?"

They nodded.

"Begin!"

In that exact moment, Liu Yuan rushed forward, his sword crackling with thunder energy. He wasn’t holding back.

But Gu Jin didn’t move.

Instead, she lifted her hand and calmly said,

"Come."

A summoning circle appeared beside her, glowing with eerie green and black light.

From the circle, a figure slowly rose—an undead with greenish skin, hollow eyes, and a dark aura swirling around its body. Its form was skeletal, wrapped in thin, shadowy flesh. It looked terrifying.

Gasps erupted in the crowd.

"W-what is that?"

"A summoned undead?"

"She has Undead Element? How strange!"

After all in China, Undead was the element that was least awakened.

Liu Yuan hesitated slightly, sensing the danger, but he still swung his sword, sending a wave of thunder energy forward.

But before it could even reach her, the undead raised one hand.

Boom!