Unexpected Encounter

"We really lost big this time, using up several Elemental Potions in a row!"

"I'm even more unlucky, taking a spear for no reason!"

"And the worst part is we got nothing to show for it!"

Faint voices drifted over.

Potterning and his group looked rather dejected. Their luck hadn't been great on this trip; not only did they come back empty-handed, but they'd also lost a good chunk of their capital.

Hunting down mermen wasn't a simple task.

They also didn't have anything like Sailen's Mirage Orb to help them, which could split off manpower to hold back the Merman Sorcerer Leader.

"Someone ahead!"

Suddenly, a comrade's warning snapped Potterning back to attention.

The wilderness was desolate and quiet. They were meeting in a small valley formed by some rolling hills.

This meant they discovered each other at a very close range.

Potterning took a look and relaxed. "It's just a few newcomers who got promoted last year. I know them, they're no threat."

"Promoted last year?"

An Old Apprentice said meaningfully.

Juniors implied weakness.

Weakness implied they could be bullied.

Although there might be exceptions, the probability was very low.

If something went wrong, they were confident they could escape.

Potterning's eyes lit up, instantly understanding his companion's meaning.

"We might not have had good luck this trip, but they might have!

If we happen to stumble upon a small tribe they can handle...

They should have some gains in their hands!"

Promoting to an ordinary apprentice required more resources, and the financial gap was even larger.

Yet, their ability to earn money was limited.

He was desperately short on money lately.

He subtly signaled his companions and they tacitly urged their Necromancer Warhorses forward, accelerating their pace.

"Someone's coming!"

Roy's increasingly powerful Spiritual Power sensed it.

He detected movement on the small slope on the other side of the fork in the road. Looking up, his expression immediately changed slightly.

"Potterning?" The others, hearing the alert, were also greatly surprised. "And those few, they're all old apprentices with several years of experience..."

In this desolate wilderness, suddenly running into this notorious group of old apprentices, everyone had a vague premonition of trouble.

The dangers of the wild didn't just come from monsters.

Fellow apprentices from the Tower were also targets to be wary of!

"You few, get off your horses.

Throw out all your backpacks and baggage."

The old apprentices looked at them with sinister smiles, like they were looking at lambs ready for slaughter.

Renion and the others were momentarily flustered, not knowing what to do.

Roy also frowned.

Although his reinforced body wasn't slow when running, dismounting would practically mean handing over their lives and possessions, to be slaughtered obediently.

He silently reached into his pouch, pretending to loosen his belt, but actually reaching for the opening.

Unexpectedly, from behind Potterning, several companions suddenly drew crossbows and fired several arrows in quick succession.

They attacked without the slightest hesitation.

Even the words that seemed like a robbery were just a ruse to confuse them.

As everyone was stunned, Roy's hair suddenly grew rapidly, transforming into multiple writhing black pythons that deflected the arrows.

This Mage Body Modification had already shown initial results. Each strand of hair was like a tentacle. While it couldn't form an impenetrable barrier, with its wild flailing, it was more than enough to defend against most projectile weapons.

As long as they didn't contain any witchcraft energy or magical effects.

Everyone was greatly astonished to see this.

Roy, however, acted quickly, throwing a bottle of Orchard's Bane, contained in a test tube, into the air.

Potterning and his group hastily dodged. They watched as the liquid scattered on the ground, sizzling, and their faces all changed.

What potent corrosive power!

"You dare resist...

Kill this brat first!"

Several people looked at Roy, realizing it was the result of some kind of Mage Body Modification.

Unlike ordinary physical enhancements, such modifications often came with all sorts of inconceivable special abilities.

Even for their team of Old Apprentices, all of whom had undergone enhancements, it posed a minor threat.

But just then, they all smelled a fragrance like apple cider.

A slight, strange sensation washed over them.

Immediately following was an inexplicable sense of lightness, a feeling of floating.

The surrounding wilderness seemed to shift, the night sky shimmered with colorful light, and stars winked one after another.

Roy and the others opposite them also seemed to transform into humanoid serpents with colorful snake heads.

This bizarre scene sent them into a daze, their minds a blur of rationality and hallucination, their consciousness struggling.

It wasn't until the murmuring of incantations and the clinking of chains rang out that they were jolted back to reality.

A dark shadow was thrown by Roy, lunging like a snake.

His target was Potterning, with whom he had a prior grudge. Among these Old Apprentices, he only recognized Potterning and no one else.

Potterning snapped back to attention, drawing his sword to slash at the chain, but only a clang of metal on metal sounded.

The chain, like a snake, coiled around him with immense force.

"H-help me!"

Potterning's neck was constricted, and he felt like he couldn't breathe.

He struggled and pulled with all his might.

But the chain tightened, like a real python, recoiling sharply the moment it sensed any slackening in his strength.

This forced Potterning to strain, his face reddening, as he resisted the crushing force with all his might.

He was utterly shocked, his mind a tempest.

How was this possible?

Wasn't Roy a seventh-year Apprentice, on the same level as Trides?

He had only just advanced last year...

How could he use Magecraft, and so skillfully at that!

The others nearby were also terrified, but upon realizing what was happening, instead of helping, they scattered.

"Witch... Magecraft!"

"We can't fight this head-on, don't be reckless!"

Even if Renion and the others were slow to react, they snapped back to their senses now, pulling out crossbows and firing wildly, killing two people on the spot.

Potterning gathered his strength again, his immense power, comparable to an Intermediate Knight, yanking hard.

Just then, a crossbow bolt flew in and lodged itself in his right arm, his eyes widening in shock.

The strength he had painstakingly gathered deflated instantly, like a punctured balloon.

He was almost unable to breathe...

Potterning grew more anxious.

The chain perfectly mimicked the way snakes constrict their prey, its force steady and unwavering.

The brief moment of pain had caused him to slacken slightly, and his carotid artery was now being squeezed even tighter.

His brain was starting to be deprived of oxygen.

The faint Magic Power granted by his enhanced modification could temporarily replace blood oxygen, allowing him to hold on a little longer, but it was still being rapidly depleted.

Potterning's face contorted with even greater terror, and his struggles and pulls became more frantic, but to no avail.

Because his exertion was merely a feeling; in reality, as his stamina waned, his resistance grew weaker.

Roy charged forward on his horse, thrusting his longsword towards Potterning's chest.

Blood gushed out, and Potterning, eyes wide, fell to the ground with a thud, dead.

Seeing this, the others were struck with terror, completely losing their will to fight, and were slaughtered one by one.