Apprentices' First Battle (Please Read, Bookmark, and Recommend!)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Fire Bird!"

A small bird formed from condensed flames flapped its wings and flew forward, pouncing on a Night Shadow Bunker apprentice ahead.

The apprentice's pupils suddenly contracted, and terror flashed across his face. Before he even had the chance to cast a defensive spell, the Fire Bird swallowed him whole, reducing him to charred scraps.

"That's it?"

The Furnace Apprentice curled his lips into a smile, his eyes full of contempt.

"Kiss of Frost!"

His companion sneered as he recited the incantation. An ice spell followed close behind, striking another Night Shadow Bunker apprentice with precision.

Frost froze the apprentice's movements, and his body instantly cracked into chunks of ice that scattered in every direction.

The two Furnace Apprentices were clearly brimming with confidence. As wizards' students, they possessed a considerable advantage in strength over ordinary apprentices.

However, the battle soon changed. Before they could even catch their breath, rustling sounds came from deep within the woods, followed by more Night Shadow Bunker apprentices.

Several more figures emerged from the dense shadows of the trees, gradually surrounding them and giving the pair no chance to rest.

As the saying went, enough ants could bite an elephant to death. Though the two were among the best Wizard Apprentices, they were not Official Wizards after all. There was no insurmountable gap in power between them and these Night Shadow Bunker apprentices.

The spread of the Mesmerizing Incense had long since exposed their location.

As more and more Night Shadow Bunker apprentices poured in, the situation was far from encouraging...

Meanwhile, Lynn and the other two were also making their way toward the main group.

Before setting out, the three-person team had reached an agreement:

They would not actively engage the Night Shadow Bunker apprentices and would prioritize joining up with the main force.

After all, Sonia was the only one among them who possessed truly overwhelming combat power. Lynn and Colin were relatively limited in battle and relied more on their respective means of self-preservation.

At the beginning of their journey, Lynn's group had progressed fairly smoothly.

Aside from successfully avoiding an attack by Night Shadow Spiders, they had not encountered any major danger along the way.

However, the Goddess of Luck could not remain by their side forever.

The following morning, Lynn finally faced the first battle of his life as a Wizard Apprentice.

Sunlight filtered through the sparse canopy and fell upon the ground, forming patches of mottled light and shadow. Fine rays created by the Tyndall effect filled the air.

The silence of the forest was suddenly broken. Four figures slowly emerged from behind the thick tree trunks ahead of them.

These people wore identical wizard robes, each with a pitch-black night emblem on the chest. They were clearly apprentices from Night Shadow Bunker.

The two teams met in the jungle, and the air instantly froze. Killing intent surged in the gazes of the seven as they faced one another, tension drawn taut as blades.

A forest breeze swept past, yet the tension in the air only grew thicker, like invisible ropes binding the two teams tightly within their confrontation.

Lynn's gaze was as calm as still water, without the slightest trace of fear or panic. In its place was a steady composure.

To him, the battle with the greatest disparity in strength had been the assessment to enter the Furnace—his life-and-death duel with Russell.

At that time, he had been nothing more than a skinny little monkey, while his opponent had been a broad, imposing Knight Squire.

Now, although it was four Wizard Apprentices against three, and he himself was merely a Level 2 Wizard Apprentice, the gap was not as great as it appeared.

Lynn raised a hand slightly, and the Crystal Ball within his robes silently floated up.

His spiritual power gently guided the Crystal Ball, quickly allowing him to determine the enemy's strengths with perfect clarity.

"Two Level 3 Wizard Apprentices and two Level 2 Wizard Apprentices. Their spiritual power values are 25, 26, 13, and 12."

Lynn relayed the information to Colin and Sonia in a low voice.

When the three had first formed their team, they had already openly shared their abilities and developed a degree of tactical understanding.

Back when the team was formed, each of them had revealed their capabilities so they could better arrange their tactics.

Thanks to his teacher's gift, Lynn had successfully become the team's scout, drawing Sonia's envious gaze in the process.

Aside from lacking combat power, Rosalind's students truly had much to envy.

Before fighting, they would first judge their opponents' strength. If they could win, the three of them would fight. If the situation looked bad, their plan was simple: run!

Right now, this clearly fell within the range of a fight they could win!

"Take a Flame Bombardment!"

Colin launched the first attack, his voice echoing through the woods like a battle horn.

Without the slightest hesitation, he rapidly recited the spell's incantation. In only three breaths, a blazing pillar of fire shot from his hand, aimed directly at one of the Level 3 Wizard Apprentices.

Flame Bombardment was an advanced Zero-Ring Wizardry spell. Its incantation was more complicated than that of ordinary spells, but Colin had mastered a unique technique known as Fragmented Casting, which could drastically shorten casting time.

His attack was precise and decisive, accompanied by the roar of flames and an unstoppable momentum.

On the other side, Sonia decisively moved to confront the other Level 3 Wizard Apprentice and a Level 2 Wizard Apprentice.

Her movements were practiced and efficient, without a single unnecessary pause. Within a few breaths, she cast two spells at once.

Lynn merely glanced at Colin and Sonia from the corner of his eye. He was not worried about their strength.

Through the Crystal Ball, he had long since discovered their spiritual power values: Sonia's reached as high as 35, while Colin's was 38.

Although Colin might be unable to fully wield a portion of his spiritual power due to consuming an Earth Fruit, Sonia could unleash all of her strength without reservation.

As for Lynn himself, his gaze locked onto the remaining Level 2 Wizard Apprentice.

The opponent's spiritual power was two points higher than Lynn's, but since they were both Level 2 Wizard Apprentices, such a gap was far from impossible to overcome.

"Twelve points of spiritual power... Without an Enchanted Item or potions to support him, he can cast at most five or six intermediate Zero-Ring Wizardry spells."

Lynn silently analyzed the situation, rapidly calculating his response.

His opportunities to cast spells were extremely limited—because of Ivgried, he could only cast one spell. Every strike therefore had to be handled with the utmost caution, ensuring it hit its target.

As Lynn pondered, his opponent had already made the first move.

"Wraith Breath!"

The Night Shadow Bunker apprentice recited the spell's incantation. His low voice intertwined with the surrounding sinister wind, forming an ominous aura.

"Negative Energy Sorcery?"

Lynn's pupils narrowed slightly, but he soon regained his composure. There was even a flash of excitement in his eyes.

Compared with more common elemental spells, Negative Energy Sorcery was stranger and more troublesome at the Wizard Apprentice stage.

But Lynn possessed the Heart of Flower Language, giving him ample confidence against any kind of attack.

As the spell took shape, Lynn felt a chill sweep over him, as though an eerie wind had pierced through his robes.

Then, a horrifying phantom appeared before his eyes:

A pale Female Ghost with disheveled hair, dangling eyeballs, and a grotesquely twisted, gaping mouth spewed streams of ink-black resentment toward him.