Chapter 136 - 011: Challenge

Chapter 136: 011: Challenge

“””

The first to act was Louis. This Earth Element apprentice swung the long-handled magic wand in his hand, and immediately, several magic arrays with a diameter of about one meter appeared on the ground before him.

“Boom!”

The ground within the magic arrays trembled and then shattered, turning into chunks of varying sizes, quickly converging towards the center. Before long, they amassed into two-meter-tall rock golems, and soon, the arena was populated with sixteen such rock golems.

Zero-ring low-level magic: [Rock Guardian].

This is a spell combining Earth Element and Spiritual System mastery, widely recognized among Earth Element apprentices. Most Earth Element spellcasters have learned this spell.

“Go!”

Louis confidently waved his magic wand, and the Rock Guardians immediately surged forward like a swarm toward Adam on the opposite side.

The encroaching army approached, but Adam remained unfazed. He gripped the Cross Sword in both hands, raised it above his head, and staggered his legs front and back, taking a stance from knight swordsmanship—The Knight’s Top-form.

His body slightly compressed downward, and like a spring, he exploded forward in one powerful leap.

The Cross Sword slashed straight at the nearest Rock Guardian. In the fleeting moment of passing, a distinct “crack” sound was heard, and the Rock Guardian burst open directly, shattering into fragments of rubble scattered across the ground.

Lynch was momentarily stunned.

Lynch was very familiar with the Rock Guardian spell and could clearly see that Louis, like himself, had cultivated this spell to the advanced mastery level.

Earth Element spells are well-known for their defensive power. A master-level Rock Guardian’s defensive strength could reach a level of about 13 degrees, rivaling that of some mid-level apprentice spells.

While this energy coefficient wouldn’t be enough to stop Adam completely, it certainly should not have shattered with just one sword strike like this.

“What could it be…” Lynch stroked his chin, growing increasingly intrigued.

Meanwhile, on the opposite viewing platform.

“Huh?”

Berserker Leo froze for a moment upon seeing Adam’s strike.

He muttered in confusion, “Why am I smelling Saros’s presence?”

The Alchemy Puppet Codinos beside him nodded: “Your perception wasn’t mistaken. Calvin’s niece had a mishap recently, didn’t she? She used an Abyss Transmission Scroll to send back an apprentice—this one right here in the arena.”

“You know Saros. Rumor has it that someone successfully passed through the Abyss, and Saros rushed to investigate the matter immediately. Whatever he did, it’s most likely connected to what you sensed.”

Berserker Leo furrowed his eyebrows, swearing under his breath: “That guy! Isn’t he just stirring up trouble again? How can a competition be fair with this sort of interference?”

As the two conversed, the combat in the arena had already reached a fever pitch.

Although Louis’s Rock Guardians were numerous, they were no match for Adam’s swordsmanship. A few quick strikes were enough to reduce each guardian to a pile of rubble.

During the battle, Louis attempted to overwhelm Adam with sheer numbers, sending his Rock Guardians to converge on him at once. However, Adam didn’t grant him this chance. His movements were swift and elusive, and his ghost-like agility prevented the Rock Guardians from surrounding him.

’His agility points also seem abnormal…’ Lynch stroked his chin.

Adam’s agility, as displayed in the battle, far surpassed that of ordinary knights—even rivaling Lynch’s own as a mid-level knight.

’Could it be physical enhancement abilities? I wonder if there’s a transcendent effect involved?’

Lynch continued to analyze.

Through tactical skirmishes, Adam rapidly gained control of the battlefield, cutting down one Rock Guardian after another. Before long, only two or three remained standing.

Louis frowned, clearly realizing Adam’s strength exceeded his expectations.

However, Louis was not prepared to sit idly by. Just as Adam was about to finish off the last remaining Rock Guardian, Louis swung his magic wand, summoning a cloud of dust and sand, and hid his figure within it, disappearing from sight.

Zero-ring low-level magic: [Dust Sand Mist]. A stealthy Earth Element spell with concealment properties.

This move proved highly effective. Having just struck down the last Rock Guardian, Adam immediately became disoriented. He scanned the battlefield with his sword raised but failed to locate Louis’s position. The sand obscured Louis’s figure, while the wind masked his scent and sound.

“Swish!”

Before Adam could locate Louis, the ground beneath Louis loosened abruptly, turning soft and muddy like a swamp. Adam, caught off guard, sank right into it.

Zero-ring mid-level magic: [Earth Sinking Spell].

A swampy terrain spanning two to three dozen meters appeared in the arena. The loosened soil seemed to come alive, gripping Adam’s body and dragging him deeper underground.

Achieving such precision and intensity was no ordinary Earth Sinking Spell—it was only possible with master-level proficiency.

Suddenly, the apprentices erupted into a frenzy.

“Mastered mid-level magic! Another instance of mastered mid-level magic! Louis has mastered two mid-level spells!”

“That’s incredible!”

Spell mastery and entry-level phase are entirely different concepts. Mastering a spell, especially at the mid-level apprentice stage, represents an extraordinary sense of accomplishment, far surpassing entry-level difficulty.

Among the many mid-level apprentices in the Tower, those who could master one mid-level spell were extremely rare—let alone mastering two.

At the moment Adam was trapped, the surrounding sand suddenly surged dramatically.

The swirling sand carried countless stones from the ground, gathering overhead, gradually coalescing into a massive meteorite nearly ten meters in diameter.

Zero-ring mid-level magic: [Big Meteorite Skill].

With this colossal meteorite’s formation, the sandstorm abruptly ceased, and Louis’s figure reappeared in the crowd’s view.

At this point, his face was visibly pale, and his spiritual power seemed just barely stable.

While Louis had learned several spells, his ability to coordinate spiritual power with elemental energy was still lacking. Casting multiple spells had drained him considerably.

“Victory is mine!”

Louis shouted, exhausted yet resolute, as he swung his magic wand laboriously toward Adam’s direction.

The meteorite, losing its elemental restraints, succumbed to gravity and hurtled straight towards Adam trapped in the swamp below.

Defeat seemed inevitable for Adam, but just then, an unexpected twist occurred.

Suddenly, the space behind Adam distorted dramatically. Black tendrils materialized from thin air, swiftly wrapping around him and pulling him free from the swamp-like earth.

Lynch’s eyebrows shot up: “Is that…”

“Abyssal Touch?”

Freed from the quagmire, Adam faced the descending meteorite head-on. Instead of dodging, he used the tendrils to launch himself upward, hurling his entire body directly at the massive meteorite.

With the Cross Sword held high, Adam shot toward the meteorite like a cannonball.

“Boom!”

Adam slammed into the meteorite, and almost instantly, cracks spread across its surface. Moments later, the meteorite shattered with a deafening explosion.

Adam landed steadily on the ground amidst the falling rubble, completely unharmed.

Across the arena, Louis’s face turned ashen. Already drained, the collapse of his spell caused a backlash to his spiritual power, making him wobble and almost collapse.

Though he managed to steady himself using his magic wand, his fighting spirit was gone.

“I admit defeat!”

He decisively conceded.

“Adam! Adam!”

“Champion! Champion!”

The apprentices chanted Adam’s name, and the atmosphere in the arena reached its climax.

Wizard Bruce, tasked with maintaining order at the venue, approached with several apprentices. The apprentices checked on Louis, while Wizard Bruce walked up to Adam.

Bruce said, “Congratulations, Adam Apprentice. A well-deserved championship!”

Adam gave a modest smile: “Thank you.”

Bruce chuckled: “Do you have anything to say at this moment?”

Adam paused, “Anything at all?”

Bruce replied warmly: “Of course.”

Adam asked, “What if it’s to issue a challenge to someone else?”

Bruce hesitated briefly but soon affirmed: “That’s your prerogative, though it wouldn’t be a wise choice at this moment.”

Adam was now the champion, basking in glory and prestige, with no need to complicate matters further.

But Adam wouldn’t be deterred.

After Bruce’s approval, Adam’s gaze swept across the stands until it settled on Lynch.

Adam raised the Cross Sword without hesitation, pointing it directly at him: “Lynch, you coward!”

“Come down and face your doom!”

“””

If you find any errors ( Ads popup, ads redirect, broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.