"BOOM!"

Just then, the nearby wall shattered. A figure holding a shield tumbled to the ground, already lifeless upon landing.

Immediately following, a dark silhouette leaped into the fray.

"Huh?" Carl was momentarily stunned. This was the very scene he witnessed.

As a Patrol Officer, Carl certainly recognized his direct superior, Goff. Moreover, Dana was also present, drenched in blood.

With a quick scan, although unclear about the specifics, he guessed the gist of what had happened.

"Interesting!" Robert tilted his head, his gaze fixed on the mysterious entrant, a hint of surprise in his eyes. "Someone else came in?"

"No matter!" Shaking his head slightly, he pointed a finger. "Kill him!"

"SWOOSH!"

"SWOOSH! SWOOSH!"

The nearby spider-women, upon hearing the command, moved. Their spider legs tapped lightly on the ground as they rushed toward Carl with astonishing speed. Their eyes were blood-red as they waved their daggers, hissing.

"Hmm..." Carl frowned slightly at the sight, flicking his finger. He had experience dealing with these creatures, so despite their numbers, he wasn't panicked.

Lightburst!

The sudden, blinding light made the naturally light-fearing spider-women instinctively shut their eyes and scream.

Firebrand!

Flames swept out, igniting the spider-women. It was as if they were doused in kerosene; the fire flared violently.

In the blink of an eye, the attacking spider-women turned into charred black cinders.

The spider-women's strength was comparable to a Knight Attendant's. With six arms, their attack capabilities were significant. However, they had a major weakness: they feared light and dreaded fire. Targeting their weaknesses with spells made them easy to handle.

Lesser Energy Fireball?

The newcomer's displayed abilities caused Robert's expression to darken. His previous confidence vanished, replaced by a serious look as he muttered under his breath, "A Wizard Apprentice?"

As he spoke, his actions didn't cease. While Carl dealt with the spider-women, Robert had already completed casting his spell.

Zero-Circle Magic—Control Earth and Rock!

The dirt on the ground seemed to come alive, twisting and crawling like snakes before suddenly shooting towards Carl as it neared him.

In an instant, the earth transformed into hard, rocky spikes, like venomous serpents in ambush suddenly baring their fangs.

The same witchcraft, when used by different people under different circumstances, could be adapted in various ways. Carl's Firebrand, for example, could be shot as a fireball or swept out as flames; with sufficient power, it could even evolve into a sea of fire. Control Earth and Rock was similar. It could form spikes, move stealthily for a sneak attack, or even...

Evolve into stone whips!

The ground churned. Some of it transformed into spikes that shot out, trailing piercing whistles. Other parts turned into long whips, controlled by an unseen hand, lashing fiercely at Carl.

"CRACK!"

The stone whip slammed into the ground, smashing a crack several meters long.

Carl nimbly dodged, weaving through the gaps between the incoming rock spikes and stone whips, occasionally firing streaks of light.

Arcane Missiles!

"Heh..." Robert manipulated the soil to intercept the Arcane Missiles, his serious expression relaxing slightly. "An Intermediate Wizard Apprentice with decent spiritual power. It's a pity you haven't met a competent tutor."

"Your strength... is too weak!"

"Hmph!" Carl grunted, waving his hand and firing a flame that blasted apart an incoming rock spike.

As an Intermediate Wizard Apprentice, he was indeed weaker than his opponent. Robert had used only a single Zero-Circle Magic spell, yet it had almost forced Carl to reveal all his cards and left him hard-pressed.

What was going on? Why is the opponent's witchcraft so powerful, so fast? Judging from the perceived intensity of the spiritual waves, the gap between them isn't huge. My spiritual power is 2.0, while the opponent's is likely around 2.5 or 2.6. There's a gap, but it isn't as large as I imagined.

"Witchcraft isn't like scattered stars in the sky, where you just pick one up at a time," Robert began to speak with interest as he fought, perhaps because he rarely encountered Wizard Apprentices. "It's more like pieces of a puzzle that fit together. Your spiritual power isn't weak, but the witchcraft you've learned is too fragmented. Without a cohesive system, it appears much weaker."

"Forget about me. Any Intermediate Wizard Apprentice with systematic training could easily crush you!"

This was the truth. Take Kolon's Wizard Apprentices, for example. Most of them studied witchcraft related to flames. They started with the Ignite Fire trick, then practiced the Zero-Circle Magic, Fire Control, supplementing it with the Flame Demon Hao Ri Meditation Method. The Ignite Fire trick could enhance the power of the Zero-Circle Magic, Fire Control, and meditation methods related to fierce flames also amplified fire damage. The consequence of stacking multiple buffs was that the corresponding Zero-Circle Magic had extremely high lethality. As Intermediate Wizard Apprentices, Kolon's Cultivators who performed Fire Control had power that was double that of others, or even more.

Robert was the same. What he seemed to be casting was the Zero-Circle Magic, Control Earth and Rock. In reality, there were also enhancements from his Meditation Method, tricks, and his Constitution at play.

And Carl... when he cast Firebrand, it was purely Firebrand, without any enhancements.

"What's wrong?" Eyeing Carl, Robert chuckled lightly. "This is all basic knowledge for Wizard cultivation. Hasn't your tutor taught you? Or are you a Cultivator who accidentally embarked on the Wizard's path?"

Carl's mouth twitched.

Ever since he learned the Meditation Method, he hadn't seen Adolf. As for his senior sister... she thought his cultivation had barely begun. He hadn't even mastered the first Zero-Circle Magic thoroughly, so of course, she wouldn't mention these things.

"Hmph!" With a low grunt, Carl's speed suddenly increased. His body brushed past the incoming rock spikes as he charged straight at Robert.

It didn't matter if his witchcraft power wasn't enough; his strong suit was never witchcraft. It was the Knight Path! It was close combat! From his experience, although the spells of Wizard Apprentices were terribly lethal, the apprentices themselves were very fragile. They were mostly not skilled in close combat. Even Intermediate Wizard Apprentices could be killed if caught off guard. Just like Miles, who died by his hand.

"Be careful!"

Because Carl's appearance had drawn Robert's attention, the pressure on Dana and the others had lessened considerably. Seeing him charge forth, Dana couldn't help but shout a warning. The grim fate of those who had previously tried to approach Robert was still vivid in everyone's memory.

But it was too late!

A faint smile touched Robert's lips as his arm swung lightly. Six three-foot-long thin swords shot out.

Circular Star Sword!

"BANG!"

The ground trembled lightly.

Carl leaped high, nimbly tumbling in midair to dodge, deflecting the remaining star swords with swings of his own blade.

At the same time, he also lost any opportunity to alter his movement technique.

Robert seized the chance, reaching out and making a pressing gesture.

Gravity!

This witchcraft could be used for defense as well as to restrict an opponent.

Carl felt his body become heavy as if he were carrying hundreds of pounds. He lost his balance and plummeted straight down.

Below, the ground rippled like water as thin, sharp spikes emerged, suddenly thrusting upwards.

Zero-Circle Magic—Earth Spike!

It was over! Despair filled Dana and the others. This mysterious person who had suddenly appeared, despite possessing strange techniques, was obviously no match for Robert.

Just then.

"Guna!"

"SWOOSH!"

Time seemed to freeze. Piece by piece, a suit of armor materialized out of thin air, completely encasing Carl in mid-air.

Secret Skill—Giantification!

"BOOM!"

A vast surge of life force erupted from within Carl. His body swelled rapidly, and in an instant, he transformed into a giant over three meters tall.

Giant in Mystic Armor!

At the same time.

Battle Skill—Bloom!

A ferocious aura erupted from the Giant in Mystic Armor, sweeping in all directions.

"BOOM..."

The rock spikes thrusting from the ground below shattered into fragments upon colliding with this aura, disintegrating completely.

"SWOOSH!"

Seizing the opportunity, Carl's figure moved like a thunderbolt, flickering to appear directly in front of Robert.

He swung his sword!

Fierce Strike!

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