Levin Hasoko stared at the glaring pool of crimson on the ground, momentarily stunned.
How long had it been since I suffered an injury this severe?
If he remembered correctly, he had never been injured since becoming a two-star Great Mage.
After he became an Archmage, injuries were out of the question. Even people who dared confront him directly with the intention of harming him had all but disappeared.
The last time he had experienced being injured-let alone injured badly enough to cough up blood-had probably been decades ago, so long ago that he had forgotten what it felt like.
Experiencing it again now felt utterly unfamiliar, and even stirred a faint trace of panic.
But above all, he felt anger.
"That bastard actually dared set a trap to injure me!"
Levin Hasoko slowly rose to his feet and stared toward the Xinfei Merchant Guild's distant Main Base. His eyes burned with fury, but his expression remained calm.
Although he was furious, his earlier probing had revealed that he really was in a difficult position.
A barrier of chaotic mana space surrounded him, perfectly enclosing every direction above, below, and on all sides.
Once he entered that chaotic mana space, even his formidable strength as an Archmage could not keep the magic elements within it stable enough to cast spells successfully. To cross the barrier, he would have to walk through it using physical strength alone, without relying on mana.
But the attack that had injured him and made him cough up blood had shown him that, having carefully laid this trap, Xu Yi would never let him leave so easily.
The moment he entered the chaotic mana space, his opponents would exploit his inability to cast spells and attack him.
Had he not reacted quickly enough to forcibly concentrate