Duel, Second-Order Magical Item, Mirror

"It's you again?!"

The blond youth Velen, immediately recognized the boy who appeared with Beyonce as the Seventh Magic Ring wizard that Beyonce had tried to recruit on the airship when they arrived.

"Have you been following us all this way?"

Velen frowned, his tone naturally revealing a hint of coldness.

"I happened to run into him nearby, so I pulled him in."

The beautiful sorceress Beyonce sensed the ill intent in Velen's words and quickly stepped in front of the boy, whispering urgently and anxiously, "Aren't we... not strong enough?"

At this moment, a silver-robed wizard quickly stepped forward and whispered a few words into Velen's ear.

Velen's eyes flickered, but after a few breaths, his expression calmed down.

"Then I'll let you come along for now."

He turned around, and Beyonce, seeing his changed attitude, introduced the boy.

"His name is Ronan, and he comes from the Seventh Magic Ring."

Ronan gave the group of Arcane Circle wizards in front of him a quick look.

All of them had the mark of a first-level core on their robes, and their strength had all reached the level of a late-stage first-level wizard. Even the weakest one among them had a mental energy fluctuation that was more than twice that of Ronan.

According to the witch Beyonce Beyoncé who led him in, their group was from the Second Magic Ring.

Bennigo is right; the ranking of the seven ring roads of the Arcane Circle is based on their strength.

These Second Magic Ring wizards are clearly superior to the Seventh Magic Ring wizards in overall quality. Each one is not just powerful, but also possesses the refined and shrewd temperament of years of magical battles.

Judging from their conversation, it seems that their trip into the "Damp Jungle" was specifically for the purpose of "Brain-Eating Flower".

And it seems that they are not the only ones with the same goal.

"Well-informed, with clear goals and plans, elites working together as a collective..."

Ronan felt a strange sense of emotion. Compared to these people, ordinary Arcane Circle wizards really had nothing to fight for. He might as well just wash up and go to sleep.

No wonder that middle-aged wizard from the Seventh Magic Ring looked at him like that when he learned he was coming to the "Damp Jungle" while waiting for the airship, and even advised him not to make a wasted trip.

After agreeing to let Ronan join, the blond youth Velen, the leader of the group of wizards, turned away and stopped looking at him. Half of the remaining people turned their attention away after realizing that he was at the mid-level of level one, and the other half completely lost interest in him after Beyonce introduced him as coming from the Seventh Magic Ring.

Ronan didn't mind.

He followed the information given by the wizard with Night-Shining Moss Arcane Circle his feet and found his way here. So far, he has not yet determined the exact location of the Brain-Eating Flower, but he has already sensed no less than ten late-stage level one wizard auras.

Although he had the ambition to sweep aside his peers, it was extremely foolish of him to rush out alone when the goal and situation were unclear, making him the target of everyone's criticism.

He hadn't forgotten that his opponents weren't just the First Level Wizard he could sense in the open, but also the assassins lurking in the shadows from Travis.

Let's first blend in with this group of people from the Second Magic Ring and figure out the situation before making a further decision.

"Let's go find Barbus and the others."

After a brief discussion, the blond youth, Velen, made a decision and calmly led everyone in one direction.

Ronan followed closely behind the group. The beautiful witch Beyonce was the only woman among the group of Second Magic Ring wizards. Judging from her demeanor and attire, she seemed to come from an extraordinary background and had an air of detachment from worldly affairs. She was also well protected by the others.

Perhaps for this reason, she invited Ronan to join her twice, and her attitude towards Ronan was quite friendly. She was even worried that Ronan would fall behind, and would occasionally turn around and whisper tips to Ronan about places in the vicinity where he might easily fall into a trap.

As the group moved forward, Ronan noticed the stench of decay in the air growing stronger, and the number of animal carcasses scattered in the decaying woods beneath them gradually increased. Some of them appeared to have died recently, lying on the ground with intact bodies, except for one head.

"Whoosh—"

At one point, Ronan suddenly felt the ground beneath his feet tremble slightly, and a violent fluctuation of energy particles came from ahead. All the wizards traveling with him stopped, and he heard Beyonce whisper a reminder: "We've arrived."

"Buzz—Snap!"

Ronan looked up and saw the outline of a huge Rune Array reflected in his eyes.

Inside the thick, solid magic array barrier, countless deep purple vines were frantically attacking the inner walls of the array.

They tore through the air with sharp, piercing sounds, leaving only a blurry afterimage as they swung through the air, followed by large ripples appearing on the crystal walls of the Rune Array.

Ronan immediately thought of Lola.

Unlike the magical vines that Lola used to control, these vines are covered with suction cup-like tentacles, which are thinner and more flexible than Lola's magical vines.

At the heart of countless vines lies the remarkably "petite" main body—resembling a sunflower overall, with silver stems and leaves, except for a deep purple, round flower head covered in tiny thorns, and a central stamen that looks remarkably like a human brain, complete with menacing mouthparts.

"It's definitely Brain-Eating Flower."

Ronan compared the Brain-Eating Flower characteristics that Bennigo had described to him, confirmed that it was correct, and took a light breath.

Although the Brain-Eating Flower is a rare Magic Potion Material, it also belongs to the category of magical beasts, specifically plant-type magical beasts.

Moreover, it is one of the more powerful first-tier magical beasts; otherwise, it wouldn't feed on the brains of other magical beasts.

This Brain-Eating Flower has reached maturity. The fruit at the center of the flower, which resembles a human brain, constantly emits an extremely tempting aroma. It is also extremely ferocious. However, under the suppression of a group of elite wizards from the Arcane Circle, it can only rage in vain.

Beside the Rune Array, roughly two groups of Arcane Circle wizards were gathered.

These wizards paid little attention to the berserk Brain-Eating Flower in the middle; most of their attention was focused on the other creature.

The arrival of Ronan and his group attracted the attention of two groups of Arcane Circle wizards.

After entering, the blond youth Velen, who was leading the group, took the initiative to walk towards the two groups of wizards. Each of the two groups of wizards also stepped out with two leaders.

The three huddled together and casually set up a [Soundproofing] array, as if they were secretly discussing something.

"What are the chances of success if I act now?"

Ronan stood in the crowd, staring at the Brain-Eating Flower in the center of the magic circle, his eyes darting around as he silently calculated the success rate of his operation.

To obtain the Brain-Eating Flower, the first step is to break the magic array.

Judging from how this Rune Array remained unmoved despite the frenzied attacks of the late-stage Tier 1 Brain-Eating Flower, its defensive power is estimated to be close to or even reach the Tier 2 level.

The second step is to harvest the Brain-Eating Flower, during which you will most likely be attacked by Brain-Eating Flower.

The third step is to leave the scene quickly.

The first two steps were not difficult for Ronan. The difficulty lay in how to escape unscathed from the combined attack of an Arcane Circle of elite wizards after obtaining the Brain-Eating Flower.

Ronan counted, and there were about thirty wizards on the field whose strength had reached the late stage of level one, combined from the three forces present.

Even if he moves very fast, the first two steps would still take him at least a few seconds, which is enough time for a late-stage level one wizard to cast a first-tier spell.

In other words, if he decides to take action now, he must be prepared to "bathe" in over thirty first-tier spells.

"Let's wait and see how we handle these guys."

Ronan let out a breath, suppressing his restless heart for the time being.

After waiting a while longer, the [Soundproofing] array in the middle of the crowd was removed, and the blond youth Velen, who had gone up to participate in the negotiations earlier, walked back expressionlessly.

The wizards on the Second Magic Ring immediately rushed forward. Ronan wanted to follow, but feeling a strong sense of rejection, he "wisely" stood still and didn't move.

"How is it going with Velen? What's their attitude?"

As soon as the blond youth Velen stood still, one of the wizards who was with him asked a question.

Velen replied calmly, "They intend to decide who owns this Brain-Eating Flower through a duel."

Each side sends eight people, who compete in pairs. The side with the most wins gets to eat the Brain-Eating Flower.

"Eight people..."

The wizards instinctively began to count the number of people on their side.

"Including the Seventh Magic Ring kid that Beyonce brought back, there are exactly eight of us on our side."

"Yes."

Velen nodded and said calmly, "It's precisely because of our needs that the number of participants in the duel has been set at eight."

Is this considered taking care of someone?

Some people's faces turned grim, their gazes falling on a certain boy who had been excluded from the group. "This kid's strength is only at the mid-stage of level one. With him around, aren't we guaranteed to lose?"

Someone frowned, "We should have kept him in; that way, we would have had a better chance of winning..."

Beyonce sensed a hint of blame in the voices of those around her, and couldn't help but step forward to defend herself, saying, "Nobody knew it would turn out this way!"

"Regardless of the form it takes, it is important to us."

"Enough!"

With a low shout, Velen silenced the crowd's clamor.

Velen gave Beyonce a reassuring look and said, "Beyonce's intentions were also for everyone's benefit."

Velen paused, glancing at the boy in the distance, and slowly said, "I'll see if I can arrange for this kid from the Seventh Magic Ring to lead the team against Barbus or the one from the Third Magic Ring."

"They will definitely use the same methods against you."

Do you have any better ideas?

Those who had objected fell silent, and everyone else also fell silent.

Velen glanced at everyone and announced calmly, "Alright, everyone, get ready. Every battle from now on is very important to us."

Everyone nodded silently.

"So, have you decided how to proceed?"

As the wizards from the Second Magic Ring returned one after another, Ronan casually inquired about Beyonce, with whom he had a fairly good relationship.

Beyonce forced a smile at him. "They plan to decide who Brain-Eating Flower through a duel. You'll represent us in that duel, and if we win, you'll definitely get a share."

A duel? Ronan was slightly taken aback, somewhat surprised.

But upon closer reflection, this seems to be the most acceptable approach, given that all members of the Arcane Circle can maintain competition without damaging relationships.

Seeing his expression, Beyonce assumed he was worried about the upcoming fight, and whispered reassured him, "It's okay. When it's your turn and you feel you can't win, just admit defeat. There's no shame in that."

Ronan nodded and said nothing.

Soon, a large open space was cleared up next to the Rune Array that trapped the Brain-Eating Flower.

Ronan had already learned that the other two groups of Arcane Circle wizards vying for power with Velen and his group came from the first and Third Magic Ring, respectively.

Both groups have more people than their side, so if they compete in a duel, they will have more freedom in arranging and selecting personnel.

Ronan now understood why Velen and the others had become colder towards him after their discussion; they probably felt he was holding them back.

Thinking that the wizards in the first duel had already taken the stage, it had nothing to do with them.

The two wizards participating in the duel came from the First Magic Ring and Third Magic Ring, respectively.

Both are male wizards, at the late stage of level one. One is Metal Element wizard who also practices fire magic, and the other is Metal Element who also practices Ice Magic.

The two were like oil and water, and immediately activated their rune effects upon entering the arena. The metallic blade surrounded by shimmering silver flames and the metallic sphere steaming with cold air collided repeatedly, releasing wave after wave of scorching heat and icy cold.

Ronan stared at the wizard who had entered the arena in the Third Magic Ring. Both were ice wizards, but the latter was clearly much more "orthodox" than him.

Not only is the metallic medium used ice-attribute, but in addition to the [Silverization] seal, the other two seals are also ice-attribute.

One of them should be the [Elemental Magic Ring]. Ronan couldn't identify the other one, but its effect seemed to be that it would create a small "blizzard" when it attacked. Since [Blizzard] is a second-tier spell, this rune's effect was quite powerful.

The battle lasted for a short time, and ended with the wizard of the Third Magic Ring emerging victorious.

The difference in strength between the two sides was not actually that great. As soon as they stepped off the field, the wizards on both sides quickly took out recovery potions and drank them down, looking like they had exhausted themselves.

The second match was still the First Magic Ring, but this time it was Ronan's team.

A fair-skinned, tall girl with a ponytail walked out from the First Magic Ring. She was very young and looked slightly nervous.

"Holgen, you go."

Velen said in a low voice, and a Bald Man with rugged features slowly walked out from their side.

Holgen, a bald wizard, possessed strong mental energy fluctuations and an aura that was both mysterious and obscure. Within the entire group of eight, he was almost second only to Velen.

Clearly, Velen is prepared to win this match decisively.

"The Dark Light Hand!"

As soon as Holgen the arena, he immediately activated the [Silverization] rune effect. The metallic medium beneath his robes emanated from his body, gathering a large number of energy particles in mid-air to condense into a silver hand that was somewhere between illusion and reality. With its five fingers spread wide, it crushed layers of air and struck straight at the Ponytail Witch opposite him.

[Dark Light Hand] is a relatively powerful offensive spell among first-tier Metal Element spells. Its effect is to summon a semi-illusory black energy hand to strike the opponent.

Bald Holgen had clearly mastered this spell to a very high level; the summoned [Dark Light Hand] was not only exceptionally large, but its energy fluctuations also far surpassed those of ordinary first-tier spells.

"Boom! Sizzle—"

The Ponytail Witch leaped into the air, rapidly chanting incantations as she widened the distance between herself and the enemy. She unleashed a blinding burst of lightning, which, combined with her unique metallic medium, barely managed to deflect the ferocious silver energy hand. However, the bald Holgen immediately followed up with several more [Dark Light Hand]. Although these were far smaller and less powerful than the first [Dark Light Hand] without the aid of the metallic medium, the sheer force of the multiple massive hands attacking in tandem, creating an overwhelming surge of energy particles, still caused the Ponytail Witch's expression to change slightly.

The people on Velen's side were all certain of what was happening. They knew Holgen's strength best. As a pure Metal Element wizard whose three Soul Rune were all used to enhance Metal Element, the outcome of the battle was basically decided when Holgen formed this magical aura.

Holgen has mastered the first-tier spell [Dark Light Hand] to perfection. Even if the opposing Ponytail Witch can withstand this combined attack, Holgen will continue to unleash more [Dark Light Hand] suddenly.

However, it seemed that the Ponytail Witch was about to be defeated.

The latter gritted his teeth and pulled out a gleaming Mirror Magical Item from his hand.

The Ponytail Witch's face turned pale in an instant, and her breath weakened in a flash.

An unprecedented surge of energy particles erupted around her, and the Mirror Magical Item suddenly burst forth with dazzling light. Immediately following, an indescribable crimson wave of fire descended from the sky, even carrying a trace of the aura of a magical domain.

Holgen's several magical energy hands were completely incinerated by the terrifying wave of fire in a single exchange, and the rolling crimson flames poured down, causing the wizards on the second and Third Magic Ring to pale in shock.

"A second-tier magical artifact?!"

Someone blurted out in disbelief.

Ronan's eyes narrowed sharply, and his hands beneath his robes clenched tightly.

However, he was not shocked that the Ponytail Witch could produce a second-tier magical artifact.

Instead, the Ponytail Witch held a mirror-like magical artifact in her hand, the pattern on one corner of which was so similar to the broken mirror artifact in her hand that could replicate the aura of other people.

Almost exactly the same!