"So they've withdrawn from the competition?"
Leo's name was no longer displayed on the screen, meaning Leo had withdrawn from the competition.
"What a pity."
It's unknown how many wizards felt sorry for Leo at this moment, but they could also understand that Leo would never have withdrawn from the competition so decisively if it weren't for something very important.
Of course, while some wizards were disappointed, others looked extremely grim, and some even stormed off when Leo withdrew from the competition.
This person is Charlotte!!!
All that effort resulted in Leo withdrawing from the competition!
Leo doesn't care about anyone's opinions.
At this moment, Leo was already sitting on the back of Benji, and they were quickly heading towards the nearest teleportation array in the central Wizard World.
What would normally be a three-month journey was compressed into a month and a half.
When Leo arrived at the Purple Flame Wizard Academy via the teleportation array, Leo Alice.
It was in that same small courtyard of Gru, located on the outskirts of the Purple Flame Academy, that Leo saw Gru's remains.
The robust body seemed to still speak of its strength, and the rosy skin made it seem as if it were not dead, but asleep.
Countless times Leo had been ravaged, bullied, and trained by this strong body, but now only a corpse remained.
Leo did not cry or make a scene or do anything irrational. Instead, she carefully examined the body, but after a thorough examination, she found no wounds on Gru's body.
Even the internal organs were not injured in any way.
As for the poisoning curse, there was not a single sign of it.
Gru's body even retained some of its vitality.
What do you think?
Leo, deep in thought, asked Alice.
The academy bears some responsibility for the death of Level Two Body Refinement Wizard who was enrolled in the school, and it must take action.
"The Dean came to see him. The most likely cause of Gru's death was a soul attack. The Dean sensed the shattered soul shortly after Gru's death," Alice said.
"Soul attack?"
Leo frowned even more deeply. To shatter the soul of a Level Two Body Refinement Wizard, the weakest person would have to be at the peak of level two, or even level three, and they would have to be someone skilled in soul-attack magic.
But why would such a wizard attack Gru?
"Where was Professor Gru found?"
" The Gru is on a guard duty near the Mijia City," Alice said.
" Mijia City?"
Leo shook his head, having no recollection of such a small town.
Leo had done a garrison mission with Teacher Gru once before in Tiyama City, but such a mission posed no danger to Gru.
He just ate and drank all day long, how could he suddenly die?
"After the incident, the dean personally went to investigate, but found nothing, not even a trace of a fight."
"The person who made the move must be far more powerful than Gru the Wizard."
After Alice finished speaking, she handed a magic ring to Leo.
"This is the dying wish of the wizard Gru; he wanted to entrust all his wealth to you."
Leo took the ring and stared at it for a long time without saying a word. It wasn't surprising that the wizard Gru had no family and would leave his property to him.
After all, in the later stages, Wizard Gru did treat him as his student, rather than as a task assigned by Purple Flame Stigmata Wizard.
There is a deep affection between the two.
Heavenly Capital, people die and disappear from this world; it's an unavoidable law of nature. Leo believes he has become indifferent to all of this now.
However, when Leo received the witch guide ring, he still couldn't control the overwhelming sadness that welled up inside him.
Alice left, leaving Leo and the wizard Gru with their last moments alone.
Yaoyao also disappeared, chasing after Alice and temporarily leaving Leo.
Leo quietly looked at Gru, recalling the past: his unrestrained laughter, his fearless arrogance, and the Furious Giant unleashed two layers of Bloodline Power at the volcano's crater...
A tear, which she could no longer hold back, streamed down her face...
Outside the courtyard, Alice held Yaoyao in her arms. As the person who knew Leo best, she deeply understood the importance of the wizard Gru to Leo.
This seemingly carefree Body Refinement Wizard is Leo's true guide on the path of wizardry, and someone irreplaceable in Leo's heart.
When Leo was feeling lost and confused upon entering the Wizard World, it was this wizard Gru who gave Leo a sense of security.
Did you make it through the knockout stage?
While waiting in boredom, Alice asked Yaoyao.
She was eliminated in the final year of the knockout stage. She was planning to wait for Leo, but then she received a notification from the Purple Flame Academy.
"It passed," Yaoyao looked into the courtyard. Sharing the same soul, he could feel the sadness and pain emanating from Leo.
"That's amazing! In which round were you eliminated?" Alice continued to ask.
"No."
Yaoyao felt like crying. Even though he didn't want to, sadness kept welling up from the depths of his heart, and he felt an inexplicable sadness that he couldn't control.
"What do you mean by 'no'?" Alice's tone suddenly became more serious; she had a bad feeling.
"We just passed the fifth round of the competition and were about to start the sixth round when Leo received your message and withdrew from the competition."
Yaoyao tried hard to sniffle, holding back the tears that were about to spill over.
"You've made it through the fifth round?"
Alice's cold face instantly showed a look of regret; her message had put Leo in a difficult position.
Having passed the fifth round, Leo had already broken into the top 2,500. If Leo were to withdraw from the competition at this point, the losses would be incalculable!
And the person who caused this result was actually himself!!
"Don't overthink it. Rankings don't matter to Leo. He achieved his goal in the competition during the elimination rounds. He can choose to participate in the subsequent rounds or not." Yaoyao sensed Alice's regret and immediately comforted her.
Since there was no news of Alice, Yaoyao suspected that Leo probably wouldn't want to continue participating in the competition, because he didn't like the feeling of being surrounded by so many wizards and treated like a monkey.
Although he likes it, it doesn't matter what he likes!
"You don't understand. Rankings represent much more than just a simple ranking. Once you achieve good results in the competition, many powerful business groups, academies, families, etc., will sponsor Leo, helping him to advance in his career."
"Once Leo makes it into the top 100, and chooses a good ally, Leo achievements will definitely not be inferior to those of Stigmata Wizard." Alice was filled with regret; even if her news had come a few months later, Leo would still have been able to complete the competition.
Stigmata Wizard —that's the ultimate dream of every wizard!
"However, there are still remedial measures. Leo will have plenty of time to achieve good results in the next competition in two hundred years."
"I will not rely on anyone; my destiny will be in my own hands." Leo pushed open the door and came out at some point.
"Thank you for informing me of Mr. Gru's Gru. I'd like to go see the place where he died."
"I'll go with you."
Alice looked closely at Leo but couldn't discern anything on Leo face. Then she looked at Yaoyao in her hand, and saw that Yaoyao's eyes were clearly full of tears.
Mijia City and Tiyama City are very similar, both located on the border of other academies, except that it is not Black Skull Academy, but Big Ben Wizard Academy.
During the last expedition to the Black Tomb World, there were three Stigmata Wizard, one of whom was the Big Ben Stigmata Wizard.
The other two wizards Leo and Alice, saw it, but they didn't see the Stigmata Wizard.
Big Ben Academy and Purple Flame Academy are roughly equal in strength, and there is no conflict between them, so the border has always been peaceful.
Normally, such a garrison duty is just a formality, and First-Level Wizard is usually more than enough. Gru is just someone who can't stay idle and comes out to play.
Regarding the recent death of the Gru, Purple Flame Academy inquired with the Big Ben Academy, and they were equally surprised.
While assuring them that they had nothing to do with it, they even sent a teacher to assist in the investigation, but the result was the same: nothing was found.
Big Ben Academy even thoroughly searched its own territory after the sudden death of Wizard Gru, fearing that some unknown powerful figure might have gone there.
Alice accompanied Leo to the scene of the incident, where there were indeed no signs of a fight.
Even though Leo had Yaoyao take him into the Shadow World, from the perspective of the Shadow World, they still couldn't find anything.
"It's been more than half a year since then, and any traces of it have faded away," Alice advised.
Leo remained silent; he felt powerless to change the outcome, but Leo had no choice but to accept it.
"I took Professor Gru's body with me; it will be buried next to my wizard tower," Leo said.
"No problem, Wizard Gru will like your arrangement," Alice said.
"I'm going back to the Tower of Elements now. Do you want to come back with me?" Leo asked Alice.
"No, my teacher needs me to talk to him. I'll be back before the next expedition."
"Alright, see you on the next expedition."
Leo left the Purple Flame Academy Purple Flame Academy's teleportation array.
The atmosphere was oppressive. Benji didn't dare to speak, Yaoyao could sense Leo's emotions, so she didn't dare to break free and obediently sat on Leo's shoulder.
What do you think?
After a long silence, Leo suddenly asked Yaoyao.
"Ah?"
"You mean about Mr. Gru's passing?"
Yaoyao was taken aback, but immediately realized what Leo wanted to ask.
"What do you think the academy is hiding from you?"
Leo nodded, his eyes flashing with a cold light. "This isn't an expedition. The death of a Level Two Body Refinement Wizard shouldn't be this quiet."
"Unless they're deliberately hiding something from me."
"So what do you want to do? Do you want to go back and question them?" Yaoyao.
"Me? Questioning?"
Leo gave a self-deprecating sneer, "What right do I have to question an academy that possesses Level Four Stigmata Wizard?"
Who would bother with Level One Lesser Wizard like me?
"Without sufficient strength, one can never truly control their own destiny."
"This won't end here. I won't let Professor Gru die without knowing why."
Bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, Leo's deep and resolute voice rang out.