The Might of the Mage

Closing his eyes with a dizzying sensation, Xuan Ye didn't even bother to check the results after the two consecutive arrows; he immediately withdrew his Bloodline Power.

Even so, the intense dizziness, the mental pollution from that vast expanse of dry data, and the maddening Buddhist scriptures of ten thousand Li Yangs transforming into Lin Zicong as the Maitreya Buddha wielding the Dragon-Slaying Saber to cut down his brothers still left him feeling as if his head was splitting apart.

Fortunately, he had experienced this once before and was somewhat mentally prepared. On top of that, he had successfully connected with his Perception Inner Mansion, greatly enhancing and improving his resistance in terms of Bright Eyes. After absorbing the essence of that Wraith, his Perception Inner Mansion was nearly fully stabilized, which was the only reason he could still stand his ground.

His endurance was much better than the first time he used it; otherwise, he would have likely lost combat capability immediately and been at others' mercy.

Even so, after recovering and slowly opening his restored eyes, he still temporarily halted his attacks. Based on his current feeling and tolerance, he could probably manage one more use in a short time, but that would only be for a life-or-death situation.

And as he gradually recovered from the side effect of dizziness, the pain from the strained arm muscles he had ignored earlier due to the more unbearable sensations began to surface, making his brow twitch and his left eye unconsciously narrow.

Now he felt like his arm was about to break. Forcing out an attack close to Professional Rank with strength that hadn't even entered the ranks—how could there be no price to pay? Even if it was just a casual strike from a Professional Rank, it wasn't something his current strength could easily touch.

He had done his best; now it was up to his companions to cooperate. With the Azure Wolf's speed, by the time he recovered his breath, they should have already started fighting, right? Why was it so quiet?

With this thought flashing through his mind, Xuan Ye lifted his head, supporting his right arm.

What greeted him was only the ghostly expressions on Luo Luoji and the others' faces.

And aside from the continued sound of chanting from Dean's direction, there was no sign of a fight.

The three waves of wolf packs had actually temporarily stopped attacking and began circling at a moderate distance at high speed, leaving Xuan Ye unable to tell what was happening.

Well, he had indeed killed one—he knew that even without checking the results after closing his eyes. The perfect calculations shouldn't have been wrong; behind seemingly random outcomes, there were always inevitable causes leading to them.

But no matter what, after going all out, he had at most killed one of the weakest Subordinate Wolves in the pack. It hadn't really dealt a crippling blow to the entire pack. Why would they suddenly change like this, unafraid of giving Dean enough time to complete his chant?

Though they were Magic Beasts, their cunning shouldn't be underestimated.

Then, among the group, the one with the lightest workload, Ye Man, who had been protecting Dean and usually wore a silly grin, retracted his smile, his expression turning quite strange.

"Given the Azure Wolf's reflexes and agility, even a formal Ranger couldn't take down one of these Professional Rank Azure Wolves with two arrows. Sure, the power of your two arrows was just barely passable, but the result is terrifying. Is that a Professional Rank arrow technique?"

Ye Man's words seemed to voice the doubts of Luo Luoji and the others. Though Luo Luoji already knew Xuan Ye had an eye-type Bloodline Power, a relatively rare one, the change that had occurred was too frightening. If he could hit an Azure Wolf's eye, then his own speed might...

Among them, the most shaken was undoubtedly Blue-haired Aide, who had mocked Xuan Ye several times. His face was now full of disbelief, with a hint of jealousy mixed into his shock.

The other party was just an unranked Apprentice Ranger! And yet he was the first to achieve results!

If he could hit an Azure Wolf's eye with its speed, then if it were him...

Coincidence! It had to be a coincidence! How could a mere nobody threaten him!

Thinking this, Aide's face twisted with a hint of ferocity.

"Professional Rank arrow technique? Uh, haha, I guess so. I don't know if it's Professional Rank or not, but why did they suddenly change like this? Aren't they afraid of Dean's lethality? Didn't you say that given enough time, Dean's damage output is the strongest among the three of you?"

Seeing that Ye Man seemed to have misunderstood, Xuan Ye was happy to let it slide and then nervously asked the question that had been bothering him. Being surrounded by those wolves circling around made him feel uneasy.

As for the so-called arrow technique? Xuan Ye had learned from Luo Luoji recently that having physical strength without corresponding skills could easily lead to situations like when he was thrashed by Gypsy. Various Combat Skills and arrow techniques had strict grades. So-called Professional Rank arrow techniques and Combat Skills were special moves that Professional Rank Experts could use as trump cards to turn the tide, and most Professional Rank Experts couldn't master them.

Of course, being mistaken for an arrow technique was far better than exposing the nature of his Bloodline Power.

On the other side, Luo Luoji answered Xuan Ye's doubt.

"Magic Beasts live in harsh natural environments. Wolf packs also consider their prey's ability to fight back when hunting. Normally, just to fill their stomachs, they won't attack targets that threaten pack members. Even losing just one is a loss in strength for the pack. Your arrow intimidated them."

The repeated praise and his own contribution gave Xuan Ye a bit of a smug feeling. Sure enough, his Bloodline Power plus the cheat were a strong combination...

"Hmph, since you're so strong, you'll have to take an extra share later. We'll come help once we're done with ours."

Aide said sullenly, the sour jealousy still lingering in his heart. He still couldn't believe that such a result came from an Apprentice Ranger, and one he had always looked down on!

Even at this life-or-death moment, he was still so petty, infuriating others. But there was no time for them to argue now.

Uh, but if they were intimidated, why weren't they leaving? There was a chanting mage here who posed an even greater threat, right?

Thinking this, Xuan Ye carefully observed the wolves' movement patterns. After calculating the parameters in his normal state, his expression gradually turned grim.

Indeed, the Azure Wolves had stopped attacking, but their circling and running were now completely erratic evasive maneuvers. In this state, even if he still had the strength to draw his bow, it would be hard to achieve the same stunning effect as before.

Moreover, because of their initial charge, they were now quite close to the group. The angular velocity and distance had reached a delicate limit—just enough to lock on, yet seemingly ready to break away at any moment!

If even he couldn't be sure of hitting the target, then Dean...

Sure enough, before long, Xuan Ye clearly sensed Dean's chant slowing down on its own. The spell model he was outlining with runes began to flicker, seemingly close to completion, yet he hesitated to release it!

"Looks like you've noticed too."

Ye Man's strange expression was like a constipated husky. Though his face was twisted from the shock, the fact that Ye Man, a Three-Star Professional Rank, had taken the initiative to talk to Xuan Ye, an Apprentice Ranger, showed that he had inwardly recognized Xuan Ye's strength and status!

From the moment the situation unfolded, the other Professionals hadn't said a single word to the Advanced Attendants! They were completely ignored!

Even if some didn't mean to discriminate, they wouldn't waste precious energy on them!

Only Xuan Ye was the exception now!

"Clearly, this pack of Azure Wolves isn't treating us as ordinary prey. There's some important reason driving them to pay the price of losing pack members or even total annihilation to deal with us. And this distance they've chosen..."

Xuan Ye nodded gravely. Though they had a moment to catch their breath, the sense of threat was even greater! What cunning hunters!

Seeing Xuan Ye's expression, Ye Man finally spoke with a hint of seriousness.

"If it were the distance from the initial standoff, completing the spell would have allowed the magic's attack speed to take down some of them even without direct mental lock-on, since their angular velocity wouldn't be high enough at that range."

He paused, staring intently at the Azure Wolves kicking up dust as they circled, before continuing.

"If they got any closer, they'd enter Dean's mental lock-on range, and they wouldn't be able to dodge attacks easily with just speed. But now, they've perfectly hit the most delicate point, waiting for Dean to either fire or cancel the spell."

However, Dean was ultimately just a Mage Apprentice. By using scrolls, magic gems, and other casting materials, he could unleash powerful destructive force, but control was clearly not so effortless.

After slowing down his incantation, relying on the Azure Wolves' circling and exhausting their stamina, he finally had no choice but to complete the last few syllables.

"...κατ?συρρο?μπ?λαφωτι??"

As the heavy, profound syllables ended, the complex spell model—formed by the burning scroll as its skeleton and the magic gem as its core—suddenly erupted with a dazzling red glow before Dean's eyes.

A three-dimensional magic rune array materialized in front of Dean's hands.

'Boom!'

A fist-sized, crimson fireball trailing a long tail shot out from the rune array, striking the afterimage left by an Azure Wolf, then slammed into the sand with an explosion comparable to a high-explosive grenade! Dust shook the sky! Far exceeding the impression given by the fireball's size!

The lethality was terrifying! If that strike had landed, even an Azure Wolf—a Magic Beast with defenses surpassing a Professional Rank human—would have been instantly killed!

And the most frightening part was that, as the magic rune array trembled repeatedly, it shifted from stillness to rotation, from slow to fast, and then suddenly began spitting out projectiles continuously like an egg cannon.

'Rat-tat-tat~'

If the first shot was like a single rocket, now it was a Gatling gun where every bullet carried the power of a rocket!

"What the hell!"

Xuan Ye had just cursed when the shockwaves of sand and dust, stirred up by the smoke and explosions, blasted a mouthful of grit into him. Wherever that 'Gatling' swept, dust and debris filled the air!

No wonder Luo Luoji had briefly described Rangers earlier, saying that at the same level, same distance, and same preparation time, Rangers were quicker and more agile. If a mage really had enough prep time and you tried to trade shots with them? I bought a watch last year!

So this is a mage? A mage who, given enough room to output, is invincible at the same level!!