However, Sarsen was not a newbie. With the strength of a level-14 peak, no one would be able to win against him. Moreover, he was in a good state today. He did not suffer any losses during the few encounters. His performance could even be said to have far exceeded his usual standard. At least, Lin Li could see that Sarsen today was not just a little bit stronger than when he was in the Shadowglen. If he had the chance to go to the Shadowglen again, perhaps even the Lich back then would have to put in a lot of effort to kill him.
However, although these two men were strong, the battle was not exciting at all. It was a real dull battle. There was not a single exciting casting of spells, nor was there a fierce confrontation. There was not even a slightly lively scene. From the beginning to the end, it was continuous probing. The energy they spent on defense was far more than on offense. Once the Elemental Shield was exhausted, they would immediately replenish it. However, the Mana Retroaction was always in their hands, and they did not release it even once from the beginning to the end.
From level-one magic to level-eight magic, that was the entirety of this battle.
In the entire process, one could not see anything exciting. There was neither the kind of casting that exceeded the limits of imagination when Lin Li was fighting against Loken, nor the kind of frightening and intense collision when Mason was fighting against Larry. There were only dogmatic and inflexible basic skills, as well as careful probing again and again.
Lin Li was almost drowsy from watching. To him, this was simply a kind of torture. Instead of watching these two guys probing here and there, it would be better to let two mage apprentices go up and fight.
However, he still had to endure this kind of torture.
Matthias' breakthrough was too strange. From being slightly stronger than Mason back then, to being able to fight evenly with Sarsen now, how could the gap in between be explained in a few words? Even Lin Li, who thought that his luck was so good that he could be hit by a pie while walking on the road, did not dare to do such a thing. Was the Eternal Furnace left behind by Osric powerful enough? Was the magical crystal of the fire wyrm powerful enough? However, after the adventure in the Fire Plume Ridge, Lin Li had only jumped from the peak of level-13 to level-15. What did Matthias rely on? Could it be that there was another Eternal Furnace in this world, and another magical crystal of the fire wyrm? This must be a joke …
Lin Li had to see how strong Matthias was now, and if he had really broken through the realm of an Archmage!
Hence, Lin Li forced himself to keep his eyes open even though the battle was making him sleepy. He paid close attention to every test that the two of them made.
In fact, it was not only Lin Li. At least half of the thousands of mages present had the same thought as him. They all felt that this battle was very boring, but they all wanted to see how strong Matthias was now. Thus, the entire battle passed in this strange atmosphere.
Everyone was the same. They yawned one after another, and forced themselves to stay awake to see what was going on.
Then, and sleep, and sleep, and Sarsen.
"Ah?" Lin Li rubbed his eyes hard. He really thought that he was seeing things.
Not long ago, the two of them were still testing each other with Wind Blades, but in the next instant, Matthias released a Flaming Hands, which instantly tore apart the Elemental Shield on Sarsen's body. What followed was a close-range explosion of Air Bomb, which blasted Sarsen away directly.
"Sarsen lost?" Looking at Sarsen, who was lying on the ground, Lin Li still could not believe that it was true. It was too sudden and too strange. It felt like two well-matched boxers were fighting on the boxing ring. Then, one of them suddenly spat, and the other fell down inexplicably.
That was simply impossible …
Lin Li remembered clearly that Sarsen's Elemental Shield had only been up for more than 10 seconds, and had at most withstood the damage of two wind blades. How could it be torn apart by a Zerable Hand?
"The winner of this battle is Mage Matthias from the Nightfall City Guild!"
However, the voice of the referee announcing the winner was unusually clear. Indeed, Sarsen had lost.
Lin Li scratched his head. After thinking for a long time, he still couldn't figure out where Sarsen had made a mistake. One had to know that the battle just now could definitely be compiled into a wretched encyclopedia. Be it Sarsen or Matthias, they were both fighting in a more conservative manner than the nun. They spent at least 90% of their energy on defense, and the remaining 10% was divided into two — one for defense, and the other for offense.
Lin Li even saw that before Matthias tore apart the Elemental Shield with the Zerable Hand, this wretched fellow had even put up a Mental Protection Field to prevent Sarsen from using Mental Magic to interfere with him.
To Lin Li, this was simply unimaginable. How could a person be so wretched?
Such a wretched tactic and such a slow pace. It was impossible for a mage of Sarsen's level to make any mistakes. Lin Li even thought that the battle would continue until the sky turned dark. Only when both of them had exhausted their mana would the winner be decided by punches and kicks.
But at this moment, Sarsen suddenly lost. It was an inexplicable defeat.
He was not the only one who was baffled. Lin Li, who was at a loss, and the thousands of mages in the audience seats were also dumbfounded.
"What the hell …"
But no matter what, the result was out.
Matthias, who was only slightly stronger than Mason a month ago, had defeated one of the top apprentices in this trial, Sarsen. Just this battle alone was enough to make everyone reevaluate him. Matthias was just a playboy in the past, but from today onwards, no one dared to treat him as a pure playboy. Even if he was, he had to be a playboy with power!
"Although this kid from the Marathon Family is not very likable, his strength has improved very quickly. I remember when I saw him last time, he was only a level-11 Magic Shooter, right?" Even Herza was secretly paying attention to Matthias when he was muttering to himself.
"This little bastard is just lucky, just like that old bastard in his family …" Hoffman said with a face full of disdain.
"Why didn't you say that in front of Wilhelm?" Herza was exasperated. The Marathon Family had always been at odds with the Glittergold Trade Union. This was something that everyone in Anril knew, especially between Hoffman and Wilhelm, who had completely fallen out with each other.
At the very least, Herza had heard it with his own ears more than once or twice. Hoffman was clamoring to find someone to poison the unscrupulous arms dealer's food, and Wilhelm swore to find an assassin to kill that damned fatty.
Fortunately, one was in Alanna, while the other was in the Breezy Plains. Otherwise, with their irreconcilable relationship, who knew how much business they would send to the head assassin, Oro.
Now that Wilhelm's son was down there, how could Hoffman, the fatty, say anything nice about it?
Herza naturally could not get involved in the feud between the Marathon Family and the Glittergold Trade Union. He could only pretend not to hear the latter half of Hoffman's words. "This time, it's not just luck. Didn't you see that Matthias had the ability to defeat Sarsen from the start? It's just that he was unwilling to reveal it. To be honest, Hoffman, you might have really misjudged this time. The people who have the hope of winning this competition are not just Gryffindor and Felic whom you think highly of …"
"Nonsense. How can this little bastard compete with Felic?" Hoffman had just scolded halfway when he suddenly came to a realization. The expression on his fat face instantly froze. "You, you, you … How did you know that I think highly of Felic?"
"Why don't you think about how nervous you were during the first round of the competition? It was so obvious that even a blind person could see it, right?" Herza smiled, and did not pursue the matter. He only minded his own business and said, "Hoffman, it's normal that you can't see it. After all, you're not a real mage. There are many things that only real mages understand. Just watch carefully. Today's finals will be more exciting than any finals in the past decades …"
"I really don't believe it …" Hoffman gritted his teeth.
The morning passed quickly, and the first round of the 12 battles had just come to an end. The names of the 12 trial apprentices were written on the advancement list. Then, it was time to draw lots personally presided over by Aldwin.
"First round, Mage Mason from Chevan City Guild versus Mage Lauren from Snow City Guild!"
"Ah?" Mason was stunned. He simply couldn't believe that his luck was actually this good …
Mage Lauren from Snow City was an old acquaintance of Mason's. Back when they were in the Shadowglen, this fella had followed Sarsen to the cave and wanted to take over this place by force. In the end, he was so scared by Felic's Flaming Hands that he almost wet his pants. Mason remembered that Lauren's strength was already at the peak of level-10 at that time.
This trial lasted as long as two months. Most of the trial apprentices' strength had increased by one or two levels. After all, they were all young geniuses selected by the major Guilds of Magic. Be it potential or plasticity, they were all considerable. After coming to Alanna, they had the personal guidance of an Archmage, and also had a place like the Omniscient Tower to further their training. An increase in strength by one or two levels was indeed not a strange thing.
However, there were exceptions to everything, and it was the same for the increase in magic strength. In this trial, there were some freaks who jumped from level-12 to level-15, and there were also some fools who did not make any progress at all. They came to Alanna at the same level, and participated in the finals at the same level.
There was no doubt that Lauren was that idiot.
Mason was all too clear about the situation of that idiot. Chevan City and Snow City were neighbors, and after their encounter in the Shadowglen, Lauren had always wanted to suck up to this neighbor. In the past month, he would come and visit almost every few days. After a while, Mason naturally knew his strength through and through.
How could Mason not be happy to be able to meet a level-10 Magic Shooter in the finals of this freakish competition?
"I must thank this pretty boy properly." Mason was secretly pleased for a long time. Suddenly, he realized that the reason why he could have such good luck was actually all because of Orrin.
Why did he say it was because of Orrin? This matter was actually very simple.
There were a total of 24 Guilds of Magic participating in this trial. The 24 apprentices were divided into 12 groups in the first round of the competition. This was decided long before the trial. However, no one had expected that Orrin would be injured before the finals began. Furthermore, the injury was so serious that it was difficult for him to even walk a few steps, let alone participate in the finals.
Each of the 24 apprentices had a pit. When a radish was spoiled, naturally, there would be an empty pit, and Lauren was that lucky pit.
He didn't know where his luck came from, but the only empty slot was actually drawn by him. Thus, this rookie who hadn't made any progress in the past two months, entered the second round without even breaking a sweat …
Unfortunately, his luck came to an end.
"Hahaha …" Mason stared at Lauren from afar, and revealed a hideous smile.
At this time, Mason did not care about his neighbors anymore. He only knew that as long as he got rid of this kid, he would be able to enter the final six!
Although the Chevan City Guild had produced many talents in the past few hundred years, there had never been a person who entered the final six of the trial. If he achieved a breakthrough this time, wouldn't he be able to do whatever he wanted in the Chevan City Guild of Magic in the future?
"Brother Lauren, this time, I, Mason, am going to be ruthless. If you want to blame something, blame your luck …"
Just as Mason was mumbling to himself, the results of the lots came out one after another. The few trial apprentices that everyone had high hopes for were rather lucky. None of them were matched against each other in the second round. Gryffindor drew a level-13 Magic Shooter called Mark, who was said to be a trial apprentice from the Starlight City Guild of Magic. Matthias, on the other hand, was luckier than him. He drew a level-12 Magic Shooter.
When he saw the results of the draw, Lin Li could not help but think that his opponent was a level-12 Magic Shooter this time. Could this bastard Matthias still be so wretched?
In contrast, Lin Li's opponent was the most difficult to deal with. He was Garat from the Far Looking City Guild of Magic. This person's strength was definitely first-rate among the trial apprentices this time. He had always been mysterious, and had never been too close to anyone. Even his two roommates did not have any relationship with him. Lin Li could only judge from his observation that this person had most likely broken through level-14, and was probably similar to Sarsen.
However, this did not make any difference to Lin Li. As long as he did not meet Gryphon or Matthias, it would be the same no matter who he met. The difference between level-15 and level-14 could not be summed up by a single level. In front of an Archmage, unless it was an anomaly like Loken, an ordinary Magic Shooter would not even have the ability to resist.
After the results of the draw came out, Lin Li only took a glance at his opponent from afar. This person looked to be about the same age as Gryphon. He was tall and skinny. Other than his frighteningly pale face, his entire body was wrapped in a black robe. From afar, he looked like a black bamboo pole standing in the wind.
When Lin Li looked over, his opponent's gaze also fell on Lin Li's face at the same time. At that moment, Lin Li felt that this gaze was a little familiar. However, at this time, Mason's match had already started. Lin Li only frowned slightly, and threw this matter to the back of his mind.
Compared to the tragedy of the first match, this match could not be any easier for Mason. However, this was not because Mason was very powerful. The reason why he could be so relaxed was entirely because his opponent was too useless. It had to be said that Lauren was probably the biggest fake in this trial.
Not to mention that he did not have any improvement in two months, the most terrible thing was that his performance in this finals was simply horribly mediocre. He was always casting spells in a dogmatic manner. Even the characters and syllables of his spells were no different from those in the textbooks. He was like a mage apprentice who was struggling to break through to level-5. He would do whatever his mentor told him to do and what was written in the textbooks. From the beginning to the end, there was not a single bright spot. If he were to change his clothes now and stand in the Aurora Square, Lin Li dared to bet that at least 99% of the mages would not be able to recognize him.
Not to mention the likes of Gryffindor and Sarsen, even compared to Mason, he was still a far cry. How did such a rookie get into this trial …
As soon as the match started, Lauren impatiently released Mana Retroaction because he saw Mason opening his mouth. He thought that Mason was going to start chanting, but Mason only said, "Brother Lauren, I, Mason, am sorry!"
"…" Lauren was so angry that he vomited blood on the spot.
After that, a serious match became entertainment.
There was a gap between their strengths, and Lauren wasted the Mana Retroaction at the start of the match. The result was already determined. Mason wasn't in a hurry to end the match. He was having more fun than anyone else. The short five-minute match had become his personal show. In the past month, he had used the various casting skills that he had learned from Lin Li on Lauren. However, he didn't go all out. Every time he was about to defeat Lauren, he would stop with an emergency brake. Lauren was in agony because of the repeated attacks.
The only thing Lauren could do was to desperately chant spells and hurriedly cast all the spells that he knew. Apart from Lin Li, who had infinite mana, no one else could withstand such a high-intensity spell casting. Not to mention Lauren, even an Archmage would not be able to withstand such consumption. In just a short five minutes, Lauren had exhausted all his mana. In the end, he was blasted out by an Air Bomb amidst Mason's wretched smile …
The match ended too quickly, to the extent that Mason did not even break a sweat and was the first to enter the top six.
"Old man, how was it? I, Mason, did not embarrass you this time, did I? I'm the first apprentice to enter the top six. Shouldn't you give me some rewards? Oh, yes, let me say this first. I don't want ordinary rewards. I, Mason, am not a beggar. Don't expect to get rid of me with two lousy scrolls … "
"Hurry up and die …" Macklin was so angry that he rolled his eyes. If not for the fact that they were in public, he would have already kicked him. F * ck, this little bastard is really going with the flow. He doesn't know what his name is after winning a level-10 Magic Shooter. Why doesn't he look at what kind of rookie his opponent is? He actually has the nerve to show off with such a battle record …
But then again, Aldwin is too unlucky. Why did he draw this kid together with that useless Lauren? Damn it, I'm afraid this little bastard is going to boast for a few days after this win …
"Felic, what are you looking at?" Mason was showing off excitedly, but he suddenly realized that his roommate seemed to be in a daze.
"Did you notice that there's something wrong with that fella …"
"Which fella?" Mason asked with a puzzled look. He followed Lin Li's gaze, and realized that he was staring at his opponent for the next round — Garat from the Far Looking City Guild of Magic. "You mean Garat?"
"Yes."
"You don't say, there's something wrong with this fella …" Mason scratched his head, and there was some doubt in his expression. "Far Looking City is not far from Chevan City. When I was young, my mentor brought me to their guild to play. That fella was a bitch when he was young. He knew how to peep at girls bathing when he was only in his teens. I heard that when he grew up, he was even worse. He liked to go to brothels when he had nothing to do. There are ten prostitutes in Far Looking City, and at least nine of them have done business with him. Why do you think he's so skinny? It's all because he's been exploited too much … "
"So powerful?"
"That's …" Mason finished his words with a lecherous look, and then frowned. He muttered to himself with a puzzled face, "Strange. When I first came to Alanna, this fella wanted to drag me to drink with girls. How did he become like this now? Look at his face and look at his eyes. What's the difference between him and those zombies in the Shadowglen … "
"There's really no difference …" Lin Li nodded. Although Mason's words were a little exaggerated, the feeling that Garat gave him was indeed the same. If he had to find someone who was similar to him, then it could only be Sendros, who had visited the Guild of Magic a few days ago.
It was just that even Sendros, a half-human, half-undead monster, seemed to have more humanity compared to him.
"Anyway, you have to be careful later. I have a feeling that this fella is not normal. Maybe he's under some evil curse. If he infects you, you'll be in trouble …"
"Idiot …" Mason's words became more and more exaggerated. Even Orrin, who had been silent all this while, could not stand it anymore. He sat on the chair, and scolded with his weak voice.
"F * ck …" Mason glared, and was about to scold him. But just as he opened his mouth, he suddenly deflated. "Forget it, gigolo. You're injured. I won't lower myself to your level."
"Do you dare …" Orrin pouted, and looked at him with disdain. Then, he turned back to look at Lin Li. "Be careful."
"Yes."
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