An Unexpected Gain

The giant gorilla was slain, its body turning into streaks of light before vanishing.

Luke dropped from the air, then skimmed across the ice toward Wilfred like a pinball.

Seeing how swiftly the Elf moved and how easily she had killed his summon, Wilfred immediately changed tactics.

The whirlwind, which consumed mana, moved slowly, and was easily weakened by obstacles, dispersed. He also withdrew the lightning chain, which had seemed ineffective.

He gripped his staff and slammed it hard against the ground. Its tip pierced the floor, and a large magic circle spread out from it.

One transparent wall of air after another rose within the circle, forming a maze that enclosed Luke.

Luke stopped in front of one of the air walls.

She knew the walls were made of compressed gas. The high density refracted light, making them visible. They also contained immense pressure, and if one burst, it would create an air hammer with tremendous force.

And when you combined light refraction with mirror magic...

Luke looked toward Wilfred. Through the air walls, she saw eight copies of him, standing in different parts of the area covered by the magic circle and constantly changing positions.

Air Labyrinth.

It was a large-scale formation Wilfred had specially developed for castle environments. In terrain where vertical space was limited, anyone trapped inside the maze could easily trigger an air-hammer blast.

As the formation operated, the air wall before her pressed forward.

Luke retreated at the same speed as the advancing wall, keeping an eye on her surroundings.

The air walls exploded when triggered. The formation only set off an air-hammer blast when someone touched a spell mark Wilfred had placed. That was because Wilfred was also affected by the light refraction inside the Air Labyrinth, so he couldn't pinpoint his opponent's location.

Wilfred had placed a magic mark on Luke.

The formation controlled the air walls, making them constantly shift. Once one wall was triggered, the entire formation would drive all the walls inward. No one could withstand a merciless beating from a barrage of air hammers.

"Elf, your abilities exceed anything I imagined. If you hand over the Book of Calamity, we can end this fight at any time."

Wilfred's voice came from all directions.

Luke kept retreating at the same pace. Just as she was about to touch the air wall behind her, she slid sharply to one side and slipped through the gap between two walls.

"Wilfred, are you really that confident in your formation? 3!"

As she spoke, Luke sidestepped another approaching air wall.

Wilfred didn't understand why the Elf had said "3" after finishing her sentence.

"I just don't want to see someone as talented as you die here. You're strong, and I can tell you're young... If you live to be my age, you'll be far more powerful than I am."

Luke dodged another air wall.

"Thank you for the praise. 2!"

"Stop being so stubborn. A new batch of air walls will appear in this formation soon. When they do, you won't have any room to dodge.

You... really will die!"

"I know..." Luke didn't rush to move as air walls pressed in from both sides. She stared at the wall directly in front of her and said to Wilfred, "Dean Wilfred, have you ever heard of a positioning method that lets you reach your staff in four steps?"

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said... 1."

As Luke said "1," the air wall before her moved away. Ahead, all the walls blocking her path happened to form a narrow corridor as they shifted.

At the other end of the corridor was Wilfred's staff, still planted in the ground.

This opportunity had been discovered by countless players after dying over and over in the Air Labyrinth. They had found the Four-Step Positioning Method.

No matter where you were in the Air Labyrinth, this method could get you to that spot in four steps. On the next shift, the air walls would form a path straight to the staff, though it would last only a moment.

If you missed it, the formation would create a new set of air walls, and you'd have to rely on your defenses to withstand the repeated air-hammer blasts.

The window lasted only an instant.

Luke was ready. The moment the air wall in front of her moved aside, she burst forward at full speed. Her figure left a streak of afterimages, and with one additional teleport, she appeared beside the staff.

Wilfred hadn't held on to his staff because he had been casting the formation.

He watched helplessly as the Elf appeared in an unbelievable manner, then reached out and pulled the staff free.

With the formation's core removed, every air wall vanished rapidly with a sound like air escaping from a tire.

Luke snatched up the long staff. Holding it in both hands like a pole, she flicked her wrists, and an ice blade extended from its tip.

In Luke's hands, Wilfred's staff became a spear. Its thrusts were like a dragon's, its spearhead flashing in rippling arcs.

Ice walls rose on all sides.

Clear Sky's level shot up to 120.

Time Reversal caught Wilfred just as he panicked and prepared to transform and flee.

The spearpoint thrust forward.

A bitterly cold tide surged ahead, freezing Wilfred against one of the ice walls.

Only his head remained exposed.

Then Clear Sky's level was set back to 80.

Luke spun the spear one-handed, then planted the staff firmly on the ground.

Yet Wilfred broke free of the ice in that brief time and appeared on the other side of the wall.

He made no move to attack again.

The power the Elf had unleashed in an instant had frightened him, especially the helplessness he'd felt against Time Reversal. In that moment, he'd felt like a piece of meat on a chopping board.

He also knew the Elf had deliberately spared his life.

"Thank you."

Wilfred thanked her from the other side of the ice wall. Luke smiled and said, "No need. Your death wouldn't do me any good. And I never expected that coming to Aolu Academy would get me not only the Book of Calamity but also the Ruihuo Wand.

What an unexpected gain."

Wilfred looked at his staff and said to Luke, "Please give my staff back."

"Haha... I won't even give you the Book of Calamity. What makes you think I'd hand over the Ruihuo Wand? I took it fair and square. If you want it, come take it back yourself.

I don't have time to play with you anymore. Goodbye!"

Beneath Luke's feet, the spot where she had just struck the ground with the staff was covered in cracks.

Then the floor gave way, as if the level below had collapsed.

Luke plunged toward the castle's first floor along with the falling rubble. By the time Wilfred ran to the opening, the Elf was already gone.

A long while later, the Aolu Mages, Councilor Virgil, the Imperial Secret Agents, and the guards rushed upstairs. They found Wilfred standing beside the hole.

Councilor Virgil asked Wilfred, "Dean, where is that Elf?"

"She got away."

"Did you get the 'Heart of Red Dragon Nilcolon' back?"

"No... She also took the 'Book of Calamity.'"

Hearing the name of the Book of Calamity, Councilor Virgil was horrified. "Wasn't the Book of Calamity destroyed? How—how could you let that Elf take it? It's more dangerous than a Red Dragon."

Wilfred sighed. "What could I do? She even took my staff..."

Just one update today... Sorry about that.