Bitten to Death!

"Damn it! I really am a fool!"

Tylen cursed inwardly.

This was his first time fighting a true magic-wielding apprentice, and his lack of experience was laid bare in an instant.

Because he'd habitually tried to analyze the opponent's information, he'd missed the perfect window to interrupt the enemy's spellcasting.

And now, the other party's ritual was complete.

"Idiot! Die!"

The burly man, dense blood-red patterns writhing beneath his skin, let out a beast-like roar.

His body charged like a runaway bull, carrying a suffocating pressure as he rushed at Tylen with terrifying speed.

"So fast!"

Tylen's pupils contracted slightly, but his face remained expressionless.

In the instant before that heavy fist, whistling with wind, was about to smash into his face, his body reacted on instinct.

With an extremely clumsy yet effective sideways roll, he narrowly dodged the lethal blow.

Whoosh!

The burly man's fist grazed Tylen's clothes and struck empty air, carrying a gust of wind.

"At least my Constitution reached 2 points after yesterday's training! Clumsy as it was, I could still react!"

As he rolled, Tylen rapidly gathered magic in his right hand.

Magic Thorn Art!

His palm instantly became as sharp as a blade, and using the momentum of his turn, he slashed viciously at the burly man's lower back.

But the man's reaction speed far exceeded his expectations.

"Too slow!"

The burly man sneered, twisting his body with astonishing agility.

Slap!

A large hand covered in blood-red patterns, like an iron clamp, precisely caught Tylen's wrist.

In an instant, Tylen felt a terrifying force clamp down on his wrist, as if locked in a hydraulic vise.

The intense crushing sensation made his bones groan under the strain, pain shooting through his entire body.

"This guy's strength... definitely broke past 3 points!"

In the blink of an eye, Tylen didn't hesitate. His left hand activated Magic Thorn Art again, slashing fiercely at the burly man's wrist in an attempt to force a retreat.

But the man's other hand moved faster.

Slap!

Another crisp sound.

Tylen's left hand was also caught tight.

In that moment, both of Tylen's hands were locked by the terrifying "hydraulic vise," his body spread out like the character "大" as the man controlled him.

"Die!"

The burly man's face twisted savagely as he exerted force with both hands. The immense power cut off blood flow to Tylen's wrists, making his hands feel like they were about to explode.

Even more horrifying, the burly man jerked his head back, then slammed it forward like a battering ram straight at Tylen's forehead!

He was trying to shatter his skull!

At the critical moment, Tylen twisted his neck with difficulty, tilting his head to the side.

Whoosh!

The burly man's headbutt grazed Tylen's ear and smashed into his shoulder. The searing pain made Tylen grunt.

Missing once, the burly man didn't pause. He lifted his right leg, his hard knee whistling through the air as it drove viciously toward Tylen's abdomen.

If that hit connected, ruptured organs would be the least of his worries.

Tylen's body contorted at an awkward, almost twisted angle as he pulled back, barely dodging the lethal knee strike.

At this point, he looked completely on the back foot, battered and pathetic.

A faint, barely noticeable glint of cold light flashed in his eyes, but his voice carried a pleading tone as he shouted loudly:

"Brother! We're both bottom-tier apprentices, why fight to the death?"

"Let's talk it out! No need for this life-or-death struggle."

Hearing this, the burly man's eyes brimmed with even more arrogance and disdain:

"A stray dog like you—who's 'bottom-tier' with you?!"

"Want to beg for mercy now? Too late! Die!"

He raised his knee again, ready to deliver the final killing blow.

Yet, the next second...

"Ah!!!"

A piercing, agonized scream suddenly rang out across the scene.

The burly man, who moments ago had been as unstoppable as a fierce tiger, suddenly convulsed violently.

Then, his robust body went limp, as if his spine had been yanked out, collapsing weakly to the ground.

"Wh... what's going on?"

The burly man's eyes bulged wide as he desperately tried to command his body to stand, only to realize in terror that everything below his neck had gone completely numb.

It was then that he noticed something where he had been standing.

It was a small, exquisitely crafted skeletal dog.

Its entire body was covered in dense, dark red runes, radiating an eerie magical fluctuation.

Its four bone claws were carefully wrapped in thick canvas, greatly muffling the sound of bone striking the ground, allowing it to move as silently as a ghost.

At that moment, the skeletal dog landed lightly, its movements so agile they defied its nature as a low-level undead construct.

Warm blood dripped from its sharp fangs.

"Th... what is this?"

The burly man's eyes were wide, his mind a blank slate.

Before he could recover, Tylen had already broken free from his grip.

"Stop!"

Not far away, Joyce seemed to sense something and hurriedly shouted.

Squelch!

The moment Joyce's shout faded, Tylen's hand had transformed into the sharpest scalpel.

No hesitation. No cowardice.

Not even a trace of extra expression on his face.

It was a complete contrast to the friendly, pleading demeanor he had just shown.

Hand rose, blade fell.

A large head tumbled to the ground, blood spurting like a fountain, staining the earth red.

The surroundings instantly fell into a deathly silence.

The burly man himself didn't know, but the onlookers had seen it all clearly.

Just moments ago, when the burly man grabbed one of Tylen's hands and Tylen raised the other as if to "help,"

that hand was actually slicing open the backpack behind him with incredible smoothness.

Then, the intricately folded skeletal dog, covered in blood-red runes, flipped down like an assassin, landing nimbly.

The moment it landed, it used Tylen's body as cover to hide in the shadows.

While the burly man launched his frenzied attacks—headbutts, iron knees—it used Tylen's cover to silently circle around behind him.

And when Tylen spoke, begging for mercy, drawing the burly man's last shred of attention, it leaped.

Those two fangs, sharpened by the third cast of Magic Thorn Art, bit down horizontally, precisely along the bone gap at the back of the burly man's neck.

Crunch!

That single bite severed the burly man's central nervous system, completely destroying the brain's control over his body.

It was a perfect, masterfully executed ambush.

Tylen flicked the blood off his hand, looked at the corpse on the ground, and spoke with calm regret:

"I gave you a chance, and you couldn't even use it!"

Whoosh!

In an instant, the surrounding crowd erupted.

"Holy Father above, what was that thing?"

"A low-level undead construct without undead fire."

"Impossible! How could a low-level undead construct be so agile?"

"That guy must have used his own blood as a spiritual medium."

"Then how are its teeth so sharp? It doesn't even have ligaments!"

"Magic Thorn Art. He used Magic Thorn Art to enchant the skeletal dog's teeth."

"Ah!? There's such a trick? Are you sure this guy is just a lowly corpse-collecting apprentice!?"