Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The guild hall was crowded with people. Everyone’s eyes fell on the huge crystal ball. The battle between the apprentice and mentor was clearly displayed in front of everyone through the huge crystal ball.
The battle had reached its climax; the young apprentice was getting fiercer with every attack, and the Elemental Shield on Macklin had become extremely dim. It was still a long way away from the end of the cooldown time for a few crucial spells. Everyone’s heart was suspended in the midst of dancing wind blades.
This battle had gone far beyond everyone’s imagination.
When Macklin had activated the Warlock’s Eyes and put the entire arena into the crystal ball, almost everyone thought it would be an actual combat practice.
In their imagination, Macklin might use several control spells to make the young apprentice understand the power of control, or he might erect an Elemental Shield and let the young apprentice bombard him until he ran out of mana before telling him how to distribute his mana rationally…
In short, no one had ever thought that the battle would be this intense.
The sparks in the battle in the crystal ball flashed, and everyone stood stupefied. There was not a sound in the whole guild hall. Whether it was the Archmages who had made a name for themselves for decades or the mage apprentices who had just come into contact with the mysterious knowledge, all of them were scared into silence at this moment.
The battle between the two men was too terrifying…
Macklin was indeed someone standing at the peak of the Archmage realm. Although his strength was suppressed to level-15, his spell-casting skills told everyone that he was indeed the most powerful of the Archmages in the guild. He had almost perfect mana control and a spell-casting duration that was nearing the limit. The spells released by him were almost as exquisite as fine works of art. In that almost hopeless impasse, he could even take time to retaliate. Many times, people even thought that his spell-casting skills had subverted their common sense.
The crowd was even thankful that Macklin had suppressed his strength to level-15 and had fallen into leeward from the beginning. If not for that, they wouldn’t be able to witness such an exciting battle in their lifetime.
A figure like Macklin, who was at the peak of the Archmage realm, could often destroy everything with his strength alone, so he seldom did his best in a battle, not to mention fighting desperately for a respite with all his skills like now.
For the hundreds of mages in the hall, this was simply a stunning magic show.
Such opportunities were not always available.
Just seeing Macklin doing his best was enough to make them cry out for joy.
On top of that…
It was a young apprentice barely 20 years of age who had forced Macklin into putting in his best.
What this young apprentice brought them was a real shock.
Compared with Macklin’s fine art of casting, what the young apprentice demonstrated was another style. He was accurate and efficient, like a precise machine. His control of mana had reached a terrifying level—it was as if the mana was not an illusory magic power, but the most flexible finger. He had a complete and accurate control over it, and there was neither redundancy nor waste.
What made the scalps of the mages tingle the most was that this young apprentice seemed to have an instinctive sensitivity to time. Up to now, each side had released at least dozens of spells; the magnificent runes alone were enough to dazzle everyone’s eyes, but this young apprentice clearly remembered the order of each spell and accurately grasped their respective cooldown time.
The hundreds of mages in the guild hall had the same idea in their minds. It’s horrible…
A while ago, Macklin managed to pull through the cooldown time of the Elemental Shield, and was going to retaliate with this Elemental Shield when the young apprentice suddenly released a Mana Retroaction.
At that moment, almost everyone saw Macklin open his mouth.
That was a sign that he was about to recite a spell.
But no one knew what spell had been intending to recite, as the spell was taken by the throat by the young apprentice before it could even be uttered.
It was simply a hopeless feeling…
The trick was not complicated. Among the hundreds of mages present, those with good vision could see that it was nothing more than calculating the cooldown time of Macklin’s Elemental Shield, and then releasing the Mana Retroaction just after it. Only under the protection of the Elemental Shield could Macklin cast his spells boldly and confidently, and that also left an opportunity for the opponent to use the Mana Retroaction.
But things in this world were always easier said than done.
How was it an easy thing to calculate the cooldown time of the Elemental Shield?
Not only did he have to remember when the Elemental Shield was put on Macklin, but also how many magic spells he had released during this period and how much they had weakened the shield. In addition, he had to also take into account Macklin’s mana consumption and the pressure he put on him, which could even involve reading the opponent and other subtle factors.
The most important thing in the battle of mages was concentration. The recitation of complicated spells was enough to consume the whole focus of most mages. It could only be a rare magic genius that could think and work out exquisite tactics for himself in an intense battle. As for the young apprentice, he could even make complicated calculations when facing his mentor. Not to mention seeing, it was never even heard of. This was not the ability that human beings should possess.
The guild hall was so quiet that even a needle could be heard if it fell to the ground.
All eyes rested on the crystal ball; they stared in awe at the young apprentice who was reciting the spell.
He wasn’t reciting the spell swiftly. He seemed to be unhurried, but old mages with sharp eyes could see it at a glance—the young apprentice was reciting the spell as fast as Macklin!
Several old mages muttered quietly, “Hell…”
This was just too damned…
No matter how Macklin suppressed his strength to level-15, the spell-casting habit that had been incorporated into his blood would not change. For mages of his level, the spell-casting habit had become an instinct. Even if he’d suppressed his strength to level-1, the duration that a spell should be compressed would not have changed because of the level.
It seemed to everyone in the hall that Macklin’s compression of recitation time had reached the limit of human beings. They felt that even a legendary-mage could not do it better than Macklin.
But right under their noses, there was at present a young apprentice under the age of 20 who had done something only Macklin could do.
No one dared to believe that this young apprentice was barely 20.
Everyone began to speculate about the origins of this apprentice-looking fellow…
For a moment, whispers rose one after another in the guild hall.
Someone spoke from the crowd, “I remember, this fellow seems to be from Jarrosus!”
When this sentence was uttered, a voice of disapproval was immediately aroused, and an old Magic Shooter with white beard said agitatedly, “Nonsense, how can a place like the Jarrosus Guild of Magic produce such an impressive genius?”
“Exactly, it’s impossible!” Several colleagues around him looked at him and nodded in the same way.
This had to be a joke—a magic genius who could drive Macklin to the wall came from Jarrosus? Who didn’t know that place was a backwater of magic; it had had only one Archmage, Gerian, in decades. The most ridiculous thing was that people had said that the most powerful magic strength in that place was not the Guild of Magic, but a dozen of mage families from all over the place.
Such a genius came from Jarrosus? It’d be more straightforward to say that Macklin was a woman…
“If this kid really comes from Jarrosus, I’ll eat this crystal ball!” The white-bearded old Magic Shooter pointed excitedly at the crystal ball in front of him.
“…” The mage who’d told the truth became mum at once. Wouldn’t it be murder if the old man were to eat such a huge crystal ball?
Furthermore…
Although he had said that this kid came from Jarrosus, he was actually not certain of it. Everyone knew about that countryside place, Jarrosus. They’d long be celebrating if they could produce a Magic Shooter, let alone an Archmage less than 20 years of age.
Perhaps he mistook him for another… The only mage who’d spoken the truth began to doubt himself.
The battle was coming to an end when the crowd was talking and speculating about Lin Li’s origins.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” Three Rings of Fire exploded beside Macklin in series, leaving behind only a thin layer of the crumbling Elemental Shield…
“Kid, you’ve got guts! The three Rings of Fire, which had been buried long ago, exploded at the most crucial moment and immediately pushed Macklin to the brink of despair. There was only a thin layer of Elemental Shield on his body, and perhaps only a wind blade was all it would take to break it. Moreover, it was only half past the cooldown time; it’d be like asking a rooster to lay eggs for Macklin to put up another Elemental Shield.
Macklin had lived for a long time, and it was a first for him to find himself in such a mess. He was too aggrieved being beaten by a young kid barely 20 years of age without even having the strength to fight back. The Elemental Shield was about to be torn; he was about to be sentenced to death, yet he couldn’t do anything about it. He could only watch as the other party cast spells after spells on himself…
“It’s such a miserable failure!” Macklin was utterly regretful at present. He shouldn’t have underestimated this boy, thinking that he was still at the same strength a month ago. He did not expect that the kid would break through from level-13 to level-15, advancing to the realm of the Archmage in such a short period of time.
However, this boy was also a talent. A slight advantage was constantly enlarged by him, and eventually pushed Macklin to the brink of despair.
Taking the opportunity of passing Macklin, Lin Li whispered in his ear, “See, I’ve said. It’s uncertain who’d be the one lecturing whom…”
Upon hearing this, Macklin nearly vomited blood in anger.
Unfortunately, vomiting blood was one thing; there was still nothing he could do. Just as the two passed each other, the Flaming Hands had fallen on Macklin’s back—the flames rose at once, burning a huge gap in the Elemental Shield in an instant.
It’s over… Macklin’s heart sank as he felt the heat from the Flaming Hands. The name I’ve made for myself for decades will be destroyed in this kid’s hands today…
At the thought of the 12 Warlock’s Eyes above him, Macklin really wanted to die.
At this moment, the entire Guild of Magic fell into silence.
Whether it was Aldwin or Darian, or the hundreds of mages in the guild hall, everyone was nervous as they stared at the crystal ball. When they watched Lin Li’s Flaming Hands fall, and then Macklin’s Elemental Shield break open, even time seemed to have frozen at the moment…
And then, they saw it…
The blazing flame on the young apprentice’s hand was extinguished in an instant.
The runes dancing about in the arena suddenly disappeared, and everything seemed to return to the time when the party of four just entered.
Everyone in the Guild of Magic was stunned; nobody expected this to be the final outcome. This… what kind of situation was this?
In the guild hall, someone shouted out, “Darn, the kid has exhausted his mana!”
His mana was exhausted indeed…
It was not until this time that this group of mages in the guild hall suddenly remembered that the young apprentice had released at least dozens of spells during the battle just now, of which at least half were at the level of a Magic Shooter.
For a moment, all the mages in the hall showed the same look of sudden enlightenment.
No wonder they’d constantly felt that something was amiss. So, this was what happened.
The reason why this kid looked so fierce was that he had been overdrawing his mana. What was the concept of dozens of spells? This meant an astronomical amount of mana. Even those well-known Archmages could not necessarily withstand such a consumption, let alone a young man under the age of 20.
It was indeed so when they recalled the battle process. Ever since the young mage apprentice had gained the upper hand, he had been bombarding Macklin with spells. A large amount of instantaneous spells, in addition to the short recitation, had forced Macklin out of breath, but at the same time he was also overdrawing his own mana. This battling style that was almost similar to a gamble finally had a disastrous effect on him. Just when victory was within reach, his mana was completely exhausted…
“What a pity…” Bursts of sigh ensued from the crowd. Even the mages unrelated to the young mage apprentice felt regretful for him.
It was so close. If the Flaming Hands were to burn a second longer, it’d be enough to defeat Macklin completely. Unfortunately, this one second had become a goal that he could not reach. Macklin was a level-18 Magic Shooter—how many times could a mage defeat him in his life?
In the President’s room, Darian quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, this Jarrosus kid might be powerful, but it was not to an unreasonable extent. At least he could not compete with an Archmage in terms of mana yet. This put Darian somewhat at ease. He took a mental note of it—insufficient mana was the biggest flaw of the opponent.
Aldwin merely chuckled. “Looks like Macklin’s in luck…”
“President Aldwin, I’m afraid it’s not just luck.”
“Oh?” Aldwin glanced at Darian in puzzlement. “Darian, you beg to differ?”
“Yes, President Aldwin.” Darian nodded. He pointed to Lin Li who was in the crystal ball, and said, “If my guess is right, this was all in Mr Macklin’s grasp. He knew the limit of the other party’s mana right from the start, so he has been defending all along. It was all to let the young man exhaust his mana and to make him understand the importance of distributing the mana.”
“Looks like you still don’t understand…” Aldwin gave a chuckle, and did not continue. “Forget it. Darian, if there’s nothing else, you may go back. I’d like to be alone.”
“Yes.” Darian took another look at the scene in the crystal ball before retreating from the room respectfully. He walked along the corridor in the direction of the Research Institution. He was in a good mood on the way—he was about to get his hands on the Psionic Potion, and he had a clear grasp of the Jarrosus boy’s strength. The kid exhausting his mana at the very end had put Darian’s heart at ease. As long as he was not a real Archmage, there was still a chance to deal with him.
The battle, which had far exceeded everyone’s imagination, finally came to a close as Darian entered the Research Institution. The scene on the crystal ball gradually faded and returned to its original at last.
And, at this time, Macklin was flying into a rage.
The old fellow recited a spell with a livid expression, and the 12 Warlock’s Eyes above were switched off. When he turned around, he looked as if he was about to devour someone alive. “Damn it, you have the guts to claim you’ve exhausted your mana?”
“Why…?” Lin Li was still unhurried. “Why can’t I exhaust my mana…?”
“Cut the act with me. Others might not know you, but I do.” Seeing how lifeless Lin Li looked, Macklin couldn’t resist the urge to send a kick in his direction. “Damn it, monsters like you should be dragged into the slaughterhouse. Exhausted your mana? To hell with it. Why didn’t you exhaust your mana when you were dealing with the Three-eyed Blood Wolf in the Nightmare Mountains? Why didn’t you exhaust your mana in the Shadowglen? Yet you’ve exhausted your mana while fighting me; is there such a coincidence?”
“This…” Lin Li scratched his head, and answered shamelessly, “There’d be times when one is down on luck. I was unlucky this time. My mana was exhausted too fast. Alright?”
“…” Macklin almost vomited blood. Exhausting one’s mana is dependent on luck? Did you come up with your own theory?
“Forget it. I don’t want to badger with you anymore.” Macklin realized that if they were to compete to see who was better in telling bald-faced lies, he’d never catch up to this kid. It wasn’t that he didn’t know how to lie; the main reason was because his skin wasn’t as thick as the kid’s. The latter was absolutely shameless—he was always ready to lie through his teeth, regardless of whether the words made sense.
“You just tell me honestly. Why did you go easy on me!?”
“When did I go easy on you…?”
“F*ck, you’re still denying?” Macklin was infuriated. As someone at the peak of his profession, he had long been indifferent to the outcome. Winning was certainly worth rejoicing, but losing wasn’t a big deal, either. Losing before the whole guild was only a momentary embarrassment; he still had to do what he had to do after the embarrassment passed.
What really angered him was that he had won the battle—which seemed to be one with a great disparity in strength—due to his opponent deliberately going easy on him. Macklin was utterly furious at the thought of this. It was plainly a slap in the face for him. He could’ve exhausted his mana anytime, but he had to do it before the Flaming Hands was about to come down. Didn’t that mean, “Old man, don’t be happy just yet, I’m just going easy on you”?
F*ck, this was simply unbearable!
Furthermore, others didn’t know about him, but it didn’t mean that Macklin himself wasn’t clear about his background!
Since the kid came to Alanna, Macklin had been his trial mentor. From the Fantama Panthera to the Three-eyed Blood Wolf, he had paid close attention to both battles. He had not found any problems with the kid’s mana from the start.
In those two battles, the kid acted like a perpetual motion machine with infinite mana. Spells were released one after another every time he opened his mouth, and there was never a moment that he was seen worrying about his mana. He looked like he had abundant mana at any time, such that Macklin had even suspected the kid had brought along the Recovery Potion.
Although the battle was exciting, it was far less intense as compared to when the party of three had encountered the Three-eyed Blood Wolf in the Nightmare Mountains. There were hundreds of them—killing a dozen of them with a spell would be tiresome, not to mention there was a mighty King Wolf with them.
He hadn’t exhausted his mana under those circumstances; how could he have exhausted it earlier on?
“Alright…” Lin Li didn’t dare to spout crap anymore seeing that he had really ruffled Macklin’s feathers. He merely nodded, and said vaguely, “I do have some mana left…”
As for how much the “some” was, Lin Li couldn’t explain it. Anyway, “a little” and “a lot” both meant infinite to him.
Although Macklin had already guessed the truth, he was still livid when he heard Lin Li admit it personally. His angry howl almost flipped the guild’s roof. “Damn it, you had better tell me the truth. Why did you go easy on me? Did you think I was an unworthy opponent?”
Macklin’s words were somewhat serious; Lin Li dared not treat them lightly. He hurriedly shook his head in denial. “No, don’t misunderstand it. The reason why I held back was not because of you.”
“Why is that so?”
Lin Li looked at the 12 Warlock’s Eyes above him. “It was because I wanted to deceive someone.”
