Chapter 29: The Apprentice's First Battle (Please follow, bookmark, and recommend!)

Chapter 29

"Firebird!"

A small bird composed of condensed flames flapped its wings and lunged toward a Nightshade Bunker apprentice ahead.

The apprentice's pupils shrank instantly, a look of horror surfacing on his face. Before he even had the chance to cast a defensive spell, he was swallowed whole by the firebird, reduced to charred remains.

"Is that it?"

The Furnace wizard apprentice curled his lips into a smile, his eyes filled with contempt.

"Frost Kiss!"

His companion sneered as he recited the incantation. A frost spell followed immediately, striking another Nightshade Bunker apprentice with precision.

The frost froze the apprentice's movements, and his body instantly shattered into ice shards that flew in all directions.

The two Furnace apprentices were clearly brimming with confidence. As students of a wizard, there was a significant gap between their strength and that of ordinary apprentices.

However, the tide of battle soon shifted. Before they could breathe a sigh of relief, a rustling sound emerged from the depths of the forest, and more Nightshade Bunker apprentices arrived in succession.

Several more figures emerged from the dense shadows of the trees, gradually surrounding them, giving the two no chance to catch their breath.

As the saying goes, enough ants can kill an elephant. Although the two were among the elite of the wizard apprentices, they were not yet official wizards, and there was no insurmountable gap in strength between them and these Nightshade Bunker apprentices.

The spreading range of the迷香 (bewildering incense) had long since exposed their location.

As more and more Nightshade Bunker apprentices swarmed in, the situation looked grim...

Meanwhile, Lynn and his two companions were also approaching the main force.

Before setting out, the three-person squad had reached a consensus

Do not initiate combat with Nightshade Bunker apprentices; prioritize regrouping with the main force.

After all, among the three, only Sonia possessed true suppressive combat power, while Lynn and Colin's combat capabilities were relatively limited, relying more on their respective survival abilities.

At the start of their journey, Lynn's group had progressed quite smoothly.

Aside from successfully avoiding attacks from Nightshade Spiders, they had encountered no major dangers along the way.

However, the Goddess of Luck could not accompany them forever.

The next morning, Lynn finally faced the first battle of his career as a wizard apprentice.

Sunlight filtered through the sparse canopy, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow on the ground, with the Tyndall effect creating fine beams of light in the air.

The silence of the forest was suddenly broken as four figures slowly emerged from behind a thick tree trunk ahead of them.

These people wore uniform wizard robes with a pitch-black night emblem on their chests—clearly apprentices of the Nightshade Bunker.

As the two small squads met in the jungle, the air instantly froze. Killing intent surged in the eyes of the seven people as they stared each other down, the tension palpable.

A gentle breeze brushed through the forest, yet the tension in the air only grew thicker, like an invisible rope binding the two squads in a standoff.

Lynn's gaze was as calm as still water, devoid of fear or panic; instead, it was replaced by a steady composure.

To him, the most disproportionate duel he had faced was the assessment to enter the Furnace—his life-and-death struggle against Russell.

At that time, he was nothing more than a scrawny little monkey facing a burly, imposing knight's squire.

Now, although it was four wizard apprentices against three, and he was only a Level 2 wizard apprentice, the gap was not as large as one might imagine.

Lynn raised his hand slightly, and the crystal ball inside his robe floated quietly.

Guided by his mental strength, the crystal ball quickly scanned the opponents' strength, leaving him with a clear understanding of the situation.

"Two Level 3 wizard apprentices, two Level 2 wizard apprentices. Mental strength data: 25, 26, 13, 12."

Lynn whispered the information to Colin and Sonia.

When the trio first formed their squad, they had been honest about their abilities, establishing a certain tactical rapport.

They had revealed their cards to one another early on to coordinate their tactics.

Relying on his teacher's gift, Lynn had successfully become the team's scout, which had earned him envious looks from Sonia.

Aside from lacking combat power, Rosaline's students were indeed enviable in many other aspects.

The plan was to judge the opponent's strength before engaging; if they could win, the three would fight, but if the situation looked bad, their plan was to run immediately!

Currently, it clearly fell into the category of "can fight"!

"Take this, Flame Blast!"

Colin took the initiative to attack, his voice echoing through the woods like a battle horn.

Without a moment's hesitation, he rapidly recited the spell. In just three breaths, a pillar of blazing fire erupted from his hand, aimed directly at one of the Level 3 apprentices.

Flame Blast was a high-level Tier 0 spell. Its incantation was more complex than ordinary spells, but Colin had mastered a unique "fragmented casting" technique that significantly shortened the casting time.

His attack was precise and decisive, the roaring flames carrying an unstoppable momentum.

On the other side, Sonia decisively met the other Level 3 apprentice and one of the Level 2 apprentices.

Her movements were skilled and efficient, without a single unnecessary pause. Within a few breaths, she released two spells simultaneously.

Lynn only glanced at Colin and Sonia out of the corner of his eye; he wasn't worried about their strength.

Through the crystal ball, he had already determined their mental strength: Sonia's was as high as 35, while Colin's was 38.

Although Colin's mental strength might not be fully utilized due to his consumption of the "Earth Fruit," Sonia could exert her full power without reservation.

As for Lynn himself, his eyes were locked onto the remaining Level 2 apprentice.

The opponent's mental strength was two points higher than Lynn's, but as fellow Level 2 apprentices, such a gap was not insurmountable.

"Twelve points of mental strength... without the support of magical items or potions, they can only cast five or six mid-tier Tier 0 spells at most."

Lynn analyzed silently, his mind rapidly calculating a response.

His opportunities to cast spells were extremely limited—due to the presence of Yggdrasil, he could only cast a spell once. Therefore, every strike had to be handled with extreme caution to ensure it hit the target.

While Lynn was deep in thought, the opponent struck first.

"Wraith Breath!"

The Nightshade Bunker apprentice recited the incantation, his low voice intertwining with the surrounding sinister wind to create an ominous aura.

"Negative energy magic?"

Lynn's pupils contracted slightly, but he quickly regained his composure, a hint of excitement even flashing in his eyes.

Compared to the more common elemental magic, negative energy magic appeared more eerie and troublesome at the wizard apprentice stage.

However, Lynn possessed the Heart of Flower Language, which gave him sufficient confidence against any type of attack.

As the spell completed, Lynn felt a chill sweep over him, as if a ghostly wind were piercing through his robes.

Immediately after, a terrifying phantom emerged in his vision

A pale-skinned female ghost with disheveled hair, her eyeballs drooping and her mouth stretched in an exaggerated, distorted shape, spitting out waves of ink-black resentment toward him.

(End of Chapter)