Above the mage!

Chapter 338 Victory and Apology
Gaode followed the staff's instructions and entered the "examination room".

This is a spell practice field specially designed for mages to conduct actual combat drills.

When Gao De entered the venue, he found that there were already a dozen Sea Sentinel mages standing around the spell practice field who came to watch. When they noticed his entry, all of them set their eyes on him.

On the magic practice field, a burly man who was estimated to be two meters tall and weighed three hundred kilograms was standing in the center, also looking at him.

The burly man should be Gao De's opponent in this assessment, but his appearance is too different from that of a traditional wizard.

His entire body was abnormally bloated and sturdy, giving people the feeling of a square wall. Just standing there was scary enough.

"Your opponent for today's assessment is Metis. In terms of both military merit and strength, he has already reached the standard of a corporal-level mage."

"It's just that he has a bad temper and is a rare mage who is good at close combat. Last year, he got into an argument with a colleague and injured him. Because of this tainted record, the Sea Sentinel has never approved his promotion application, so he is still a first-class trainee mage."

"Under normal circumstances, Metis would never be chosen as the opponent for the initial training assessment!"

"Because he is not a first-class apprentice mage in the general sense."

A voice suddenly came out of Gaode's mind.

He looked towards the crowd of onlookers and saw Melia looking at him with some concern.

It was she who used [Communication Technique] to alert Gode of his opponent's situation.

Gao De's gaze turned and fell on Zuo Wen Burns who was standing not far away.

The other party was also looking at him with an ambiguous look, not hiding the teasing intention.

"During the assessment, it is normal to lose control and cause the subject to be injured. No one will punish or blame you for this. If you are defeated, don't try to be stubborn and admit defeat in time." Melia was still reminding Gao De.

The assessment does not require defeating the opponent to pass, so even if you admit defeat, it does not mean that you have failed the assessment.

Besides, it’s just a training assessment. Even if you fail, it’s not a big deal. You can just train for a while and then apply for the assessment again.

At most, it would be embarrassing to have a record of failing an assessment on your resume.

"Thanks for the reminder." Gode withdrew his gaze from Zuo Wen Burns and expressed his gratitude to Melia for the reminder.

His eyes were extremely calm.

Because after seeing Zuo Wen Burns at the door, he had already prepared himself mentally, so he would not be too surprised by any unexpected situation.

On one side of the spell practice field, there was a row of long tables. Three senior Sea Sentinel mages sat side by side, acting as "examiners" for this test.

"God?" The Sea Sentinel Mage sitting in the center spoke after seeing God enter.

"Yes." Gao De nodded in confirmation.

"If you are ready, just go on stage and get ready to start."

Led by the staff, Naxi walked towards the VIP room inside the Collingwood Art Museum.

The six-pointed star magic lamp hanging from the dome in the VIP room was emitting a soft glow.

On the dark green carpet, behind a long walnut table, a wizard wearing the uniform of a sea sentinel captain was sitting in a high-backed chair, picking up the bone china tea set with his hands and pouring a cup of tea.

"Naxi, long time no see. It's been a long time since you last visited me."

"Master Luo Er," Master Naxi bowed respectfully and said, "You are busy with your mission. I dare not disturb you."

Captain Rolle chuckled when he heard this and said, "You are still the same as before, thinking too much and always considering others too much. I am so happy that you can come to visit me, how can it be a bother?"

"Sit down." He motioned for Naxi to sit down, then pushed the poured tea in front of Naxi.

"It's not easy to be a guiding mage." Captain Rawl seemed to be chatting about family matters.

"Fortunately, the mages who can enter the Sea Sentinel are already very talented, so it's not a big deal." Master Naxi replied.

"That's true. When I was your guiding mage, it didn't take much effort." Captain Roll smiled and said, "But I didn't expect that after Jaden's incident, you would still be willing to continue to be your guiding mage."

Hearing the name Jaden, Master Naxi was silent for a while before he slowly spoke: "He is indeed the best wizard I have ever taught."

"It's a pity that all I can say is that if you're not from the dynasty, you're not trustworthy."

"We can't defeat a group of people because of one person." Nashi did not agree with Captain Roll's assertion, "How many of the nobles of the Holy Empire are local people?"

Captain Rawl raised his head and looked deeply at Nasi, frowning slightly, as if he wanted to refute but didn't know how.

"Now, do you think this one is trustworthy?"

"I don't know," Nashi shook his head, "but I think his talent is no worse than Jaden's."

"We can't just throw the baby out with the bathwater, can we?" He said to Captain Roll seriously, fully understanding what had happened today.

Captain Rawl thought about it and said slowly: "If that's the case, I would like to meet him."

"That's easy. I'll bring him to see you after the assessment is over."

"I'm afraid he may not be able to come see me after the assessment." Captain Roll said.

Naxi raised his eyebrows when he heard this, and understood something in an instant, "Who is his assessment target today?"

"Metis." Captain Rawl gave the answer.

"Wasn't it originally scheduled to be Nielen?"

"He had to go out on a mission for some urgent matter, so the higher-ups sent Metis to take his place." Captain Roll explained calmly.

"Captain Rawl, how did you get mixed up with those people?" Nasi subconsciously glanced outside, realizing that the assessment should have already begun, and finally said helplessly.

Captain Roll raised his eyebrows: "I don't like to hear that."

"It's just that, after what happened with Jaden, it's normal for me to have some prejudice against him. The people below wanted to increase his strength, so I agreed. Although Metis is reckless, he still knows the bottom line. Besides, there are examiners watching, so you don't have to worry."

Naxi took a sip from the teacup and nodded, "It's not that I'm worried, I just don't want to see you mixed up with that group of people."

"Not worried?" Captain Roll looked at Nashi in surprise, "That's Metis, right?"

Naxi smiled and said, "Although I don't know him very well, I always feel that he will give me a surprise."

"Now that you mention it, I'm looking forward to it." Captain Roll knew Nashi's character and was definitely not someone who would do things without a purpose. He immediately stood up and said, "Let's go and take a look at his assessment together."

Spell training ground.

Gao De walked forward facing everyone's gaze.

The wizard named Metis, seeing Gode coming, seemed very polite and introduced himself in a very rough and dull voice: "Gode, I am Metis, your test opponent."

"I hit you pretty hard, and if I didn't stop myself and hurt you, it was definitely not intentional. I'd like to apologize to you in advance, so please don't hold a grudge against me." He narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke in a seemingly honest tone.

Gode ​​did not respond, but slowly walked to Metis and slowly raised his head.

Because Metis was of great stature and stood there like a small mountain, he looked down at Gode from a superior position.

This attitude made him instinctively take a high psychological stance, as if he was already the winner.

But at this moment, he was surprised to find that the other person's eyes were too calm, even calm to the point of being a little indifferent, without a trace of ripples.

He didn't understand why Gao De could be so calm, but he subconsciously felt an inexplicable anger welling up in his heart. In his opinion, whether Gao De was calm or silent, it was a kind of disrespect to him.

According to the rules, once Gaode enters and both parties make eye contact, the assessment can begin.

Metis looks rough and honest, but in fact his personality is totally inconsistent with his appearance.

He is violent and petty by nature.

Therefore, Metis had already launched an attack without any hesitation.

The muscles in his arms instantly tensed up like tight ropes, and at the same time emitted a magical aura.

The next moment, gray-white rock spikes burst out of the flesh and blood hand, and the magical light covered the flesh and blood with a layer of granite, turning it into a fist-shaped stone block.

[Stone Fist], a first-level transmutation spell, can turn your hands into living stone, making unarmed attacks extremely deadly.

"Fighting with me and daring to get so close to me is simply seeking death." Metis thought to himself as he punched Gode's head without any hesitation.

The fists made a whistling sound, like two cannonballs. If hit, the consequences would be disastrous.

For mages, the lower the level of the mage, the greater the advantage of a mage who is good at close combat.

Because as the mage's level increases, the mage's methods will only become more and more diverse, and it will become increasingly difficult to play to one's strengths in close combat.

Therefore, in one ring, although Metis's combat power was recognized as strong among the Sea Sentinels, he was not taken seriously because his promotion was blocked due to his tainted record, which was a manifestation of the fact that the top management was not optimistic about his potential.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be so strict with real talents.

Metis used all his strength in this punch.

Although he looked like a fool, he was actually very sharp. Gao De's calm eyes gave him a bad feeling, so he did not take this battle lightly, and even had the intention of a sneak attack.

If this punch hits, even if Gaode reacts and casts protective spells to resist, he will fall into a passive position and will not be able to find a chance to counterattack.

How could a mage of this level cast spells as fast as his punches?

Under his attack of punch after punch, Gao De could only act as a punching bag.

With this kind of performance, even if Gao De has many abilities, he will not be able to display them, and he will definitely fail the assessment. He may even be seriously injured before he can admit defeat.
This was Metis' original plan.

What he didn't expect was that facing his sudden attack, Gao De seemed to have anticipated it and cast [Wolf Speed ​​+] in an instant.

Gode ​​moved his feet quickly and took a step sideways to avoid Metis's heavy punch.

In fact, it was indeed expected.

Sense Emotions + (Divination, 1st level): You tune into your senses to pick up on the emotions of others for a duration (up to minutes).
The moment God saw Metis, he cast [Perceive Emotions +] to confirm the nature of this assessment.

And through [Perceive Emotions +], Gode sensed Metis's full malice and brutality.

That's why he didn't respond to the other party's greeting.

People who are full of malicious intent are enemies. Gao De feels that it is unnecessary to even pretend to be nice to his enemies.

At this moment, Gaode has entered a state of extreme concentration.

This is the result of special training and the double effect of the [Body of Dharma Ninja].

In this state, Gaode has extremely skilled mobile casting capabilities.

He pointed his finger forward a little.

On Metis' chest, a little light appeared under her clothes, and then quickly spread around, turning into a strange, mysterious and complex totem.

A rare first-level spell, [Hunter's Mark+].

It was just that because of the cover of clothes, other people did not notice the appearance of this totem.

At this time, Metis had turned his fist into a hammer and was hammering towards the side of his neck.

Faced with this hammer attack, Gaode seemed unable to react in time and did not make any evasive move.

Seeing this, Metis already showed a hideous smile.

hum!
The next moment, Metis felt as if his punch had hit an iron shield.

It's [Mage Armor]!
Metis reacted immediately and was surprised at the opponent's fast casting speed and good luck. He was able to cast the [Mage Armor] just in time before his palm was about to hit him.

It looks dangerous, but in fact it is all under Gaode's control.

His Leomon magic vein network has not been fully built, but the magic veins connecting the limbs of the body and the magic star sea have already been built in advance.

Therefore, his casting speed is now a bit faster than before.

Moreover, what he cast was not ordinary [Mage Armor], but [Mage Armor +]!
Additional: While Mage Armor is in effect, the force field will act like real armor, and when the target is attacked by direct physical attack, the attacker will receive a corresponding physical shock.

Metis used all his strength in this hammer punch, so the reaction force reflected by the mage's armor was also extremely strong.

His palms were as hard as granite under the influence of [Stone Fist], so they were not hurt. However, the violent recoil force went from his palms to his arms and then spread throughout his body, making him feel slightly dizzy.

But even so, his movements only paused slightly, and the next moment he had already skillfully adjusted his breathing, ready to exert force again.

Metis's fighting ability, at least at the first ring level, is recognized to be strong.

However, in such a short gap, Gode's next spell had already been cast.

A small area of ​​the ground centered on Metis' feet suddenly began to glow with a swamp-like dark brown oily sheen.

【Greasy Technique+】!
Under the effect of the Grease spell, the ground in that ten-foot area instantly came alive, and translucent gelatinous ripples appeared.

Metis's feet sank into the oil, making it difficult to move.

"Little trick!" Metis thought to himself.

[Grease] is a very common first-level spell. If this spell could stump him, he wouldn't have such a reputation among the Sea Sentinels.

And there are really many ways to control greasiness.

The most commonly used one is [Jumping Technique].

Because the range of grease magic is very small, just a small area of ​​ten feet.

With the help of the jumping spell, the mage can easily jump out of the range of the grease spell.

And Metis did the same.

He cast the jumping technique on himself at an extremely fast speed, and then jumped out of the range of the greasy technique with an extremely flexible posture.

But just as he was about to take the next step, he saw Gao De giving him an extremely strange smile.

What are you laughing at!
The angry Metis took a step forward and wanted to attack again, but his feet slipped, he staggered and almost fell.

After finally steadying himself, the next moment, the confused Metis saw God snap his fingers.

What do you mean?
Before he could turn his head, Metis felt an intense burning pain coming from under his feet.

When he looked down, he saw that his shoes were on fire.

what happened?

【Greasy Technique+】!
Additional: Oils and fats in the area will transfer to any object that enters the area and will remain so for one hour.

Although Metis jumped out of the range of the grease spell, the grease still stained the soles of his shoes.

That's why he almost fell just now.

The flammable grease allowed Gode to easily ignite Metis's feet with just a single [Ignition Spell].

Originally, this amount of fire damage was not very fatal.

But the problem is that God had already cast a rare spell [Hunter's Mark+] on Metis that increases damage.

That is to say, the damage that Metis suffers now includes not only the fire damage from [Ignition], but also the additional damage from [Hunter's Mark+].

This is extremely deadly.

But Gaode is not ready to stop.

As his mind moved, another spell model was activated.

【Insect Swarm+】.

Suddenly, swarms of tiny insects appeared on Metis' body, like a black tide.

The damage caused by these insects is only a small amount of toxic damage, and their main advantage is that they can bring negative effects, such as paralysis.

But with the blessing of [Hunter's Mark +], these trace but high-frequency toxic damages instantly become something that cannot be underestimated.

In just a blink of an eye, Metis felt severe pain all over his body and his consciousness became blurred.

At this point, Gaode has actually won.

But he did not stop. He took a step forward and the nails on his hands lengthened and became extremely sharp.

【Cat Claw Technique】

brush!
brush!
brush!
Several claws brushed across Metis' face, leaving his facial skin bloody.

It all happened so fast that Metis couldn't even speak.

It was not until Metis's face was scratched by God that the three examiners suddenly reacted.

"Stop!" the examiner in the middle shouted quickly.

That is, the moment he spoke, Gao De, who had been attacking extremely fiercely the moment before, immediately stopped and put down his hands.

"what!!!"

The burly body of Metis fell down with a bang, and he was covering his bloody face and howling in pain.

"My name is Gao De, and I was quite heavy-handed. I couldn't stop myself and hurt you. It was definitely not intentional. I'm sorry, please don't bear a grudge against me."

Godard lifted his spell, patted the sleeves of his arms as if he was straightening out slightly wrinkled clothes, and then calmly "apologized" to Metis who was rolling on the ground.

(End of this chapter)