“Why is he alone? Where are the others?”
Just then, a sharp-eyed student noticed that from the moment Wu Xin appeared until he collapsed, his teammates were nowhere to be seen. Could it be?
Every gaze in the audience converged on the dissipating smoke.
There, the ground, having been thoroughly baptized by magic, was already stained with a layer of scorched black. If not for Li Zixin’s team lacking the power to completely shatter this training ground, the surface might have resembled a second lunar landscape, uneven and cratered.
Wu Xin’s three other teammates now lay unconscious upon that charred earth, their magical reserves utterly depleted. They remained unharmed only due to the defensive magic Aya Tone had imbued them with, which had deflected every incoming attack.
“Hmph, I told you you’d lose, but you just wouldn’t believe me.” Aya Tone grumbled, her tone exasperated, as she painstakingly dragged the unconscious Wu Xin over to his three teammates. She was too lazy to treat them separately.
Their injuries were not severe—a mild concussion combined with a magical exhaustion-induced faint from the ambient magic. Minor issues, really.
Soon, they stirred, slowly regaining consciousness from their stupor.
****
“Don’t be too disheartened; it’s just one defeat. Just don’t lose in the dungeon.”
‘In the dungeon, there is no winning or losing, only life and death…’
As if recalling something painful, Aya Tone’s gaze subtly lowered, a flicker of sorrow passing through her eyes.
At her words, the four disheartened students looked up, their gazes complex as they fixed on their teacher. They had lost… lost utterly, without even a chance to resist. They had anticipated defeat, but the sheer disparity in reality had completely shattered their fighting spirit.
“Is it really that bad?” Aya Tone mumbled softly. ‘Honestly, they fought terribly. A crushing victory, nothing exciting to watch. But it wasn’t entirely Wu Xin’s fault for being so weak; after all, they were all weak—and by ‘they,’ she meant everyone here. Wu Xin’s team lost purely due to their lack of combat experience and overall strength. Facing a stationary ranged caster without a frontline is actually quite simple. Either you seize the initiative and eliminate them before they can attack, or you weather the initial assault and then seek an opening. However, it seemed they couldn’t manage either. Their defeat was perfectly normal.
‘Such things must be experienced firsthand before one truly racks their brain to understand them. To simply spell it out would be no fun; she was still planning to make this competition a monthly, permanent event.’
Dismissing those thoughts, she then turned her gaze to the victorious Li Zixin’s team, continuing her indiscriminate critique.
“What are you so happy about? You expended a massive amount of magic. If they had withstood your assault, you would have been the ones to lose.”
Aya Tone’s words struck the four, who were still basking in their victory, like a cold splash of water. It was true. If they hadn’t won in a single, decisive push, the outcome would have been far from certain.
“Alright, go back and reflect thoroughly on your shortcomings. It’s your turn now.”
Shen Sirong’s heart jolted; it was their turn to enter the arena! He exchanged a significant glance with his teammates behind him, nodding heavily, his hand unconsciously tapping in his pocket a few times. Having witnessed the battle between the two teams, he knew their teacher’s words held truth. Their previous battles had been too childish, utterly devoid of tactics. To earn their teacher’s approval, they needed to achieve a far more spectacular victory!
“Let’s go! Let them see the power of close-combat mages!” Huo Ren declared, rolling up his sleeves to reveal his muscular biceps. His magic staff was shaped like a spear, and combined with his bold demeanor, he resembled a general marching to war, leading the charge.
“Oh!!!” his three teammates responded in unison, their shouts echoing with enthusiasm. The fervent cheers resonated throughout the training ground; though only four people, they mustered the imposing aura of a hundred. It made Aya Tone look on with surprise. ‘What a bunch of hot-blooded idiots!’
“Battle start!”
As the command to begin the battle fell, the first to move were Huo Ren’s four. The light of magical enhancement enveloped their entire bodies.
“Strength Enhancement!” “Speed Enhancement!” “Magic Resistance Boost!”
They were clever, with three of them each casting a different enhancement spell. In but an instant, with three consecutive physical enhancements stacked, the speed of all four surged repeatedly. In the blink of an eye, they were upon Shen Sirong and his team.
Huo Ren’s target was clear: Shen Sirong, the opposing team’s captain! Face to face, Shen Sirong calmly met the wild, grinning face. Despite being psychologically prepared, he couldn’t help but feel a tremor in his heart—what an intense oppressive feeling!
‘Success!’ A flicker of excitement crossed Huo Ren’s eyes. ‘To get so close so easily was something he hadn’t anticipated. In his estimation, Shen Sirong would have employed the same area-of-effect barrage tactics as Li Zixin’s team. With enhanced magic resistance and physical strength, they were completely confident they could block the first wave of attacks. And once they successfully closed the distance, they would be in their element! As for whether it might be a trap… sorry, a reckless warrior’s primary strategy is simply recklessness!’
“Brother, you’re really not afraid I’ll set a trap for you, just charging straight in like that?”
With the formidable enemy before him, Shen Sirong feigned composure, showing not a hint of panic on his face, remaining as calm as a gentle breeze.
“A trap? It’s only a trap if it works.”
Huo Ren took a large stride, gripping his staff with one hand, magical energy surging to its tip, forming a spearhead of light. “Kill!” The magical spear lunged directly at Shen Sirong’s face. They understood that when their teacher said to ‘go all out’ at the beginning of this match, it wasn’t just ordinary encouragement. It meant that if they didn’t use their full strength, there was always a chance of a disastrous upset. With their teacher present, they wouldn’t die.
Just as the spearhead was about to strike Shen Sirong, the attack abruptly halted, blocked by a faint layer of light. Looking past Shen Sirong, Huo Ren saw a girl behind him, her eyes tightly closed, a faint glow emanating from the staff clutched in her hands—the same source as the defense before him. ‘It’s her!’ he realized. ‘But does she truly believe such a small defense can block his attack?’
Huo Ren let out a furious roar. He retracted his spear, executed a graceful flourish, and then his magical spear once again transformed into a bolt of lightning, thrusting straight out. This time, the shield shattered upon impact, disintegrating completely. The magical spear, its momentum unchecked, stirred up a scorching inferno as it aimed for Shen Sirong’s body.
‘Not yet?’ Shen Sirong’s heart secretly pounded with anxiety as he watched the magical spear approach like a giant dragon opening its gaping maw, seemingly ready to tear him apart. Yet, he dared not test his physical resilience against such an attack. He quickly sidestepped, but blood flashed as the spear tip grazed him, drawing a crimson streak. Shen Sirong gritted his teeth, clutching his right arm as he tumbled awkwardly on the ground for two rolls, then swiftly scrambled back to his feet, wary of the next attack.
“Hm?” Huo Ren frowned deeply, his magical spear shaking upward, scattering blood into the air.
“All together!” Delay would only invite trouble! He immediately led the charge, magical spear in hand, rushing towards the startled Shen Sirong. This time, he no longer held back his internal magic, fully channeling it into the magical artifacts on his feet. His speed instantly more than doubled. In a flash of lightning, the spear tip had already appeared behind Shen Sirong.
‘Did I win?’ Huo Ren’s tightly furrowed brow showed no signs of relaxing; in fact, it deepened even further.
Yeesh, blood what a dangerous lesson