Lin Li's opponent was from the Rodelon Guild of Magic. This fella looked to be in his twenties. He had a full beard and a height of nearly two meters. When he stood in the Aurora Square, he looked like an iron tower. If it wasn't for the fact that he was wearing a long robe and holding a magic staff, most of the audience would have thought that he was a powerful warrior.
"These two trial apprentices are Loken from the Rodelon Guild of Magic, and Felic from the Jarrosus Guild of Magic …" An Archmage in a black robe stood between the two of them. When the two of them appeared, he used his loud voice to introduce them to the many mages in the audience.
"Eh …" At this time, Lin Li's face revealed a trace of surprise.
Could this fella in front of him be the Battle Mage that Andoine mentioned, the one that only Rodelon had? Lin Li seemed to remember Andoine saying that Rodelon was close to the Northern Frozen Highlands, which was just adjacent to the territory of the barbarians. After 1300 years, the battle techniques of the barbarians and the magical knowledge of humans were continuously passed down. The result of both parties learning from each other was the birth of a different kind of Battle Mage.
Magic and martial arts, knowledge and the body — these things that seemed to be incompatible with each other were combined in an unusually harmonious manner, and exploded with shocking power. Most of the people who started to study Battle Mages were treated as lunatics and lunatics. However, as the power system of Battle Mages matured day by day, these fellows who were proficient in both magic and martial arts quickly became a force that could not be ignored in the Felan Kingdom. Some even said that a truly powerful Battle Mage was comparable to the pride of the Dwarves — the legendary Stormbringer.
"F * ck, how can such a monster appear …" Hoffman sat in the VIP seats with his eyes wide open. Disbelief was written all over his fat face. He could not believe what he saw. This genius pharmacist's luck was too good. He met a Battle Mage right at the start. This was not a joke. A true Battle Mage had not appeared for more than a hundred years. How many youngsters nowadays knew how terrifying they were?
Damn it, we're in big trouble now …
Even if this genius pharmacist had the abilities of an Archmage, Hoffman did not dare to say that he would be able to win the competition. There was no other way, as the existence of Battle Mages was too mysterious. A moment of carelessness could leave one with lifelong regret. Back then, when the power system of Battle Mages had just been formed, many people had suffered great losses in front of these guys who were proficient in magic and martial arts because they did not understand them.
Herza was sitting beside Hoffman, and naturally saw his every move. He immediately thought of something when he saw Hoffman's expression change, but he did not expose him on the spot. He only chuckled and asked, "How is it, Hoffman? What do you think of the outcome of the first round?"
"What's there to see? Are Battle Mages that powerful? Don't think that idiot will win for sure. Let me tell you, as long as we know the weakness of a Battle Mage, that idiot will be beaten to a pulp … "Hoffman glared at Loken. If he could, he wished he could go down and win this battle himself!
Unfortunately, the rules would not allow him to go down …
"Hehe …" Herza naturally understood everything when he saw Hoffman's expression. The old fellow laughed with a face full of schadenfreude. "I'm afraid that lad down there is going to be a tragedy. You see, he is at most level-12 now. It's impossible for him to win against a Battle Mage who is also level-12 …"
"Nonsense …" Hoffman glared at him fiercely, but there was a tinge of guilt in his gaze. He was not afraid of a level-12 Battle Mage, but that genius pharmacist was an Archmage after all. Hoffman was afraid that this Archmage did not know how powerful a Battle Mage was. If anything were to happen to him, the Glittergold Trade Union might lose tens of millions of gold coins …
"Hehe …" Herza laughed, and did not say anything else. His pair of murky old eyes stared at the Aurora Square, staring at that unusually young trial apprentice.
While Hoffman was feeling uneasy, the two people in the Aurora Square had already made their preparations.
Lin Li gripped the Aether Staff tightly and felt the massive mana coming from it. The Dragon's Eye that was inlaid on the head of the staff was emitting a soft glow under the sun. Andoine had already made the Aether Staff for him when he was in the Twilight Forest. Today was the first time he took it out and used it.
He had to admit that Andoine was really generous to him …
Lin Li did not know at the start, but when he returned from the Cinder Woods and obtained the Aether Staff, he realized that the old man had used a branch of the Wisdom Tree as the body of the staff! This was an invaluable magical material. The Wisdom Tree that grew in the Dark Age was born to be used to make staffs. Not only did it contain a huge amount of mana, but it also had an extremely high elemental sensitivity. It was a pity that the war during the Dark Age had destroyed six Sky Castles, causing the elemental forces in the whole of Anril to go out of control. After losing the nutrients for survival, the only Wisdom Tree had disappeared in the long river of time with the destruction of the High Elves.
The branches of the Wisdom Tree that existed today were all passed down from that era. Every one of them could be said to be a rare treasure. If Lin Li was willing to sell the staff in his hand, who knew how many mages would come knocking on his door. Its true value was probably something that even the experienced profiteer Hoffman could not estimate.
If there was a price to be set, it could only be — priceless!
The branch of the Wisdom Tree, the fist-sized Dragon's Eye, and the three mageweaths that the Guru of Inscription had personally inscribed — who would dare to easily estimate the value of such a perverted staff?
But now, when this perverted staff was taken out, it only attracted a burst of mockery.
It couldn't be helped, the Dragon's Eye looked too old-fashioned …
The soft yellow light, the faint magical wave, and the fist-sized lump … Nine out of ten mages would probably say that it was an amber stone if they saw it. As for those who didn't say that, it was probably even worse. They definitely wouldn't even know what an amber stone was …
"This, this, this … This is too fake, isn't it? Felic is someone who had defeated Macklin. Why would he take out such a staff? Look at that amber stone, isn't that something only mage apprentices can use? "
"Damn it, how would I know? I just don't understand, how did he dare to set an amber stone on the staff? Is the Jarrosus Guild of Magic really so poor? "
"Maybe it's true. It's not like you don't know Jarrosus. It's so poor that even flies and mosquitoes are not willing to settle down there. I heard people say that the mages there are so poor that they can't even afford to eat. By the way, did you see the robe that Felic was wearing last time? It was so rotten, but he still refused to throw it away. I heard that it was Mr Macklin who gave him a decent one to wear … "
"Is it really that exaggerated?"
"It's absolutely true!"
"This is too fake. It's such a good staff, and yet it's inlaid with an amber stone. If he really can't afford to buy it, he can discuss it with the guild first. After all, he's someone who had defeated Mr Macklin. The guild wouldn't be unwilling to lend him even this bit of money, right?"
"You ask me, but who should I ask …"
The moment the Aether Staff was taken out, it immediately attracted a lot of discussion from the group of mages in the spectator seats. In an instant, there was an incessant buzzing sound in the Aurora Square, as if thousands of flies were flapping their wings at the same time.
At this time, even Hoffman was a little stunned. "What is Master Felic thinking? Why would he set an amber stone on the staff … "
"Haha, this little fella is quite interesting. After the finals, I must have a chat with him. What is he thinking, to actually take out a staff with an amber stone inlaid in this sort of finals …" Herza chuckled as he looked at the two of them in the square, his eyes already squinting from the grin he was already smiling so widely.
"Old fella, what do you know …" Hoffman cursed angrily, but after he finished cursing, he could not help but worry. To a mage, a staff was the most important weapon. A good staff could unleash the power of a mage to the extreme, but a rubbish staff would similarly put the mage in a passive position from the start.
Without a doubt, the staff that Master Felic was holding now was a rubbish staff.
Hoffman's intestines were all green now. If he had known this would happen, he would have been more conservative, and directly placed the bet on Gryffindor. Look at that little bastard's smiling face, he must have drawn some good lot again. Then look at Master Felic. Not only did he bump into a Battle Mage, he actually took out a staff inlaid with an amber stone …
If not for so many people watching, Hoffman would have knelt down. "Sir, can you be more serious? This is a business that involves tens of millions of gold coins. If you don't have the money, you should have said so earlier. I'll give you a staff worth a million … Oh no, two million, for free, okay?"
At this time, there were at least thousands of mages sitting in the Aurora Square. In addition to the big shots at the VIP seats, all of them could be said to have sharp eyes, especially people like Hoffman, who had decades of experience as a profiteer. The gold coins that had flowed through his hands could probably be piled up into a mountain, and he had seen countless magical equipment.
But this time, they had all misjudged.
Of course, this could not be blamed on them. They could only blame the Dragon's Eye for being too deceptive.
Who would have thought that there would be a fist-sized Dragon's Eye in this world? If this were to be said out loud, it would really scare people to death. In order to not kill people, this had to be an amber stone!
As a piece of amber stone, the pressure was much lower. Although an amber stone the size of a fist was rare, it was still passable …
…
Loken stood in the middle of the Aurora Square, and the staff in his hand landed heavily on the ground. Immediately, there was a crisp "dang" sound …
"F * ck …" Lin Li's face instantly turned bitter, and he cursed in his heart. Since when could an iron rod be used as a staff …
If it were to hit him, wouldn't he be smashed to death on the spot?
"Seems like both of you are ready. Then, let the competition begin!"
As the referee in the middle of the square shouted "Begin", a violent magical wave instantly spread from the Aurora Square.
Loken's recitation was quick and urgent. Three spells in a row landed on his body at the same time — Hastening Spell, Brute Force Spell, and Stone Skin Spell. Then, a series of heavy footsteps could be heard. His entire body was like a cannonball that had been fired, and he pounced towards Lin Li with a "boom".
Almost at the same time, Lin Li raised the Aether Staff in his hand high up. There was no long recitation or complicated hand gestures. There was only a bone-chilling aura that spread tens of meters in an instant. In that instant, everyone could only see a white fog rising up, and countless ice shards swirling in the white fog.
"F * ck, instantaneous Blizzard!" Half of the mages in the audience stood up in an instant.
"Oh my God!" Hoffman's voice was like a pig being slaughtered. He jumped up from the VIP seats, and his chubby face was filled with surprise and joy. He was really too excited. This fella was really good when he didn't make a move, but once he did, he would scare people to death.
What the hell, instantaneous Blizzard …
Blizzard was an undeniable level-eight spell. Even a Legendary-mage like Aldwin might not dare to say that he could instantaneously cast it. But now, this young man who was only in his twenties had really done it. Looking at the white fog and the dancing ice shards, Hoffman's face was full of pride. He thought to himself, If anyone dares to say that this is not Blizzard, I will slap that person's face!
"This isn't an Ice Storm …" Who knew that Herza's voice would ring in Hoffman's ears before he could finish his thought.
"F * ck, old man, are you purposely going against me?" Hoffman's face was full of anger. If not for the fact that he could not defeat this old man, he would have pounced on him and given him a good beating!
"Open your eyes wide …"
"Huh?"
Hoffman was stunned at first, but immediately after, the battle in the Aurora Square made him understand …
That's right, this was indeed not Blizzard.
A bone-chilling aura spread out, but it didn't explode into a frightening freezing air. Instead, three sharp piercing sounds came out from the white fog in a row …
"F * ck, this Master Felic is really cunning …" Hoffman was, after all, someone who had seen the world. Once he heard those three sounds, he immediately understood.
At least nine out of ten people thought that the cold air was an instantaneous level-eight spell. But in reality, the real killer was the three icicles hidden in the cold air. That Master Felic had used some unknown method to secretly change the elemental arrangement of the Blizzard, changing the original level-eight spell into a camouflage that could be instantly cast.
While they were trying to gain the upper hand with this camouflage, the three icicles had been launched secretly. Perhaps none of the thousands of mages in the audience could have imagined that there was actually such a conspiracy behind this attack …
"That Battle Mage is done for …" Almost everyone had the same thought. The distance between the two sides was too close, and with the cover of the Ice Storm, even a god wouldn't be able to dodge those three Icicles.
"Dang, dang, dang …" But immediately after, three crisp sounds were heard.
In an instant, the entire Aurora Square became silent.
"F * ck …" Lin Li's heart tightened. This fella's body was far stronger than he had imagined. The three icicles seemed to have hit the Frost Armor. Even those magical beasts with coarse skin and thick flesh could not be this exaggerated, right?
But fortunately, he had the strength of an Archmage now. Although it was a little surprising that the three icicles missed, his reaction was not slow. The moment the three crisp sounds were heard, Lin Li had already released a Repelling Spell. However, the target he repelled was not Loken, who was like a cannonball, but the ground beneath his feet.
"Boom!" With the surge of mana, a dull sound was heard. The huge recoil from the Repelling Spell sent Lin Li flying backward. With the help of this recoil, Lin Li retreated a distance of more than 10 meters in an instant.
Almost at the same time, the magic staff in Loken's hand had already smashed heavily on the ground. In an instant, only gravel could be seen flying. The power that erupted in that instant was not inferior to a level-five spell. Lin Li could not help but feel chills down his back as he was in the air. If this had landed on him, wouldn't he be smashed on the spot?
No, this fella had to be dealt with immediately. The longer it dragged on, the more troublesome it would be!
The instant before he landed, Lin Li released a Levitation Spell.
The timing of this Levitation Spell could be said to be extremely hidden. It happened to be less than half a meter above the ground. The magical elements in the air that gushed out instantly brought Lin Li to the ground lightly. Yet, no one could see anything because the speed at which he landed was too fast. No one noticed that he had already released an Archmage-level spell in less than a second.
Loken did not feel discouraged even though his attack had missed. He raised his heavy magic staff high up, and with the speed brought by the Hastening Spell, he approached Lin Li once again. At this time, Lin Li was chanting a spell. The gemstone on the Aether Staff surged, and a huge amount of mana was flowing into his body through the branches of the Wisdom Tree …
"What the hell!" As the rapid recitation fell into their ears, a few mages who knew their stuff could not sit still. They could not believe their ears. A mage who was not even 20 years old could actually cast magic like this!
"Old fella, did you see that? Did you see that!" Hoffman was even more agitated. One of his fat and thick palms grabbed Herza tightly, and shook him with all his might. "Did you see that? This is the level-12 mage you were talking about, hahahaha …"
"I saw it, I saw it …" Herza was so old that he could not stand being pinched like this. His eyes rolled back as he struggled to break free from the fat hand. "What the hell, how is this possible …" he squeezed out a few words from his throat.
"Boom!"
Just as the audience was in chaos, a loud sound came from the center of the Aurora Square. Flaming dragons bared their fangs and brandished their claws like ferocious beasts as they pounced towards Loken.
"Flaming Storm?" Loken gripped his magic staff with both hands, but a sneer appeared on his face. It seemed like this fella who had defeated Macklin was just an undeserved reputation. After preparing for such a long time, all he released was a Flaming Storm. Did he really think that a level-eight spell could defeat a level-12 Battle Mage?
Furthermore, how could an ordinary Battle Mage compare to him?
I, Loken, have the blood of a barbarian flowing in me!
"Go to hell!" Loken roared angrily. He stomped his feet on the ground and descended from the sky like a mountain. He raised his heavy magic staff high and smashed it down with a thunderous force …
But in the next moment, the expression on Loken's face suddenly changed from ferocious to horrified. He could clearly feel that other than the threatening fire magical element, there was another force quietly affecting him. That force was not very strong, but to him, it was definitely fatal.
What the hell, that was a damned dispelling spell!
Even though Loken had realized something, he had no leverage in the air. Not to mention casting magic, he could not even slow down his descent. He could only watch as the buff on his body was quickly dispelled. He was like a naked baby facing the fire dragons that were baring their fangs and brandishing their claws.
Then …
There was a muffled rumble, and countless flaming dragons engulfed the unprotected Loken in an instant. Even though he was a true Battle Mage, even though he had the blood of a barbarian flowing in his body, all these could only help him increase the effects of his spells and reduce the damage he received. These things could not give him direct immunity to magic. With the enhancement spell dispelled, it meant that all these were nothing …
"How can there be two spells?" At that moment, this was the only question that popped up in Loken's mind. But before he could figure it out, he felt his vision go black, and he fainted …
"Did you see that, old man? This is the level-12 Battle Mage you were talking about?" Hoffman did not hide his smugness at all. He laughed heartily and patted Herza's shoulder hard.
"I'm getting old, I've misjudged …" Herza admitted it openly. There was no hint of awkwardness on his old face. It couldn't be helped. The young mage called Felic had indeed performed outstandingly just now. Although he had only used some low-level spells, his casting techniques could almost be described as perfect. Not to mention the Alanna Guild of Magic, even some people in the Supreme Council might not be as good as him.
"Hoffman, do you know this fella?" Herza asked the fatty beside him quietly after he sat down.
"Heh heh …" Hoffman laughed even louder in his smugness.
"Say it!"
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