Wizard: Starting from Escape from the Thorn Garden

Chen Lin's opponent is—Lina Windseeker. The Seed of Origin instantly retrieves information (partial intelligence shared through publicly available data from the Barrier and the Emerald Peak Mark):

[Target: Lina Windseeker]

[Level: Late-stage Level 4 Wizard Apprentice]

[Affiliation: Bulwark "Wings of the Sky" Family (Wind Specialization)]

[Specializations: High-Speed ​​Movement, Wind Blade Slash, Wind Binding, Secondary Lightning Chain]

[Characteristics: Agile and swift combat style, adept at mid-to-long-range kiting tactics, utilizing speed advantage and wind-based control spells to wear down and restrict opponents, seeking opportunities for a decisive blow. Movement speed ranks among the top of fourth-level wizard apprentices.]

[Evaluation: High threat level, highly targeted at the host's weaknesses]

"Wind-based specialization... high-speed movement... kite tactics..." Chen Lin's eyes were serious.

This is exactly the type of opponent he least wants to encounter.

Lina's speed far surpasses his; her specialties include powerful ranged attacks like Wind Blade Slash and Lightning Chain, as well as control magic like Wind Binding.

Although his Thorn Armor provides strong defense, its active activation consumes a huge amount of energy and cannot be sustained for long.

The vine entanglement and neurotoxin attacks will have a significantly reduced hit rate against the opponent's high speed and wind-based evasion.

Once the opponent creates distance, he will become a sitting duck!

The audience seats were packed.

The news of Chen Lin joining the Green Top Alliance spread quickly yesterday, and his strong performance in defeating Baroque earlier made this match highly anticipated.

Aiven, Sophia, and others also appeared on the viewing platform, clearly wanting to personally assess Chen Lin's combat abilities, especially his performance against high-speed, long-range opponents.

A light blue protective shield rose above the arena.

The referee wizard announced: "Chen Lin, number 527, versus Lina Windseeker, number 39. Begin!"

Without the slightest hesitation, the moment the match began, a blue aura swirled around her feet, and her body floated backward as if weightless, instantly creating a distance of more than twenty meters!

At the same time, she rapidly formed hand seals and shouted, "Wind Blade - Wild Dance!"

Chi Chi Chi -!

Dozens of condensed, almost tangible, pale blue wind blades with gleaming edges appeared out of thin air, accompanied by a piercing sound as they swept towards Chen Lin like a storm!

Its coverage area was extremely large, blocking all his escape routes!

Chen Lin's eyes flashed sharply! He couldn't let her create distance!

"Thorn Armor!"

hum!

Strange armor, dark gray, gleaming with a cold metallic luster, and covered with sharp thorns, instantly covered his upper body and arms!

He pushed off with his feet, lunging forward, trying to withstand the wind blades and close the distance!

Bang Bang Bang!

The dense wind blades slashed fiercely at the thorny iron armor!

A piercing clang of metal clashing rang out!

The armor vibrated violently, and a dark gray light flowed around it!

Most of the wind blades' energy was absorbed and neutralized by the energy on the armor's surface and the deflection field. However, some wind blades with extremely strong penetrating power left white marks on the armor's surface, and even broke off a few metal spikes!

The impact traveled through his armor, causing Chen Lin's blood to surge.

What's more troublesome is that Lina's attacks are relentless; before the first wave of wind blades has subsided, the second wave arrives!

At the same time, she moved with lightning speed, always maintaining a safe distance from Chen Lin!

"Such strong defense!"

Someone in the audience exclaimed, "They withstood so many wind blades!"

"But the energy expenditure will definitely be enormous! Lina is too fast; Chen Lin simply can't catch up!"

"At this rate, Chen Lin will be worn down!"

Chen Lin gritted his teeth and persevered, rushing forward more than ten meters against the wind and rain, but Lina, like a slippery fish, always kept her distance from him.

The consumption of the Thorn Armor far exceeded expectations!

With a thought, several vines burst forth from the ground, coiling around Lina's legs like venomous snakes.

"The lightness of the wind!"

Lina chuckled softly, her body seemingly lifted by an invisible wind. With a graceful spin, she avoided the vines' entanglement, and simultaneously pointed her finger: "Wind Binding!"

An invisible chain of wind instantly wrapped around Chen Lin's feet!

Although the energy field of the Thorn Armor weakened him by more than half, it still made him pause!

"Chain Lightning!"

Lina seized the opportunity and pushed with both hands!

A chain of lightning, leaping with blinding white light, tore through the air and instantly struck Chen Lin's chest!

Chen Lin's pupils suddenly contracted.

The lightning chain is too fast, and its area-of-effect attack is unavoidable!

"Drink!" he roared, activating the Thorn Armor with all his might.

The armor shone brightly, with a faint blue aura of resistance emanating from its dark gray surface!

boom!

The lightning bolt slammed into the armor.

A blinding white light burst forth!

A terrifying electric current raged!

The thorn armor trembled violently, its absorption field operating beyond its capacity, emitting a humming sound as if it could not bear the strain.

Chen Lin felt numb all over, and the Bloodthirsty Vine patterns on his right arm throbbed with anger.

He groaned, staggered backward by the powerful impact, his armor charred black, and several spikes even melted!

"A great opportunity!"

A glint flashed in Lina's eyes, and she moved like lightning, instantly creating even more distance between herself and her hands, which formed a hand seal once more.

A denser array of wind blades began to coalesce!

She planned to launch a fatal attack while Chen Lin's armor was damaged and his body was paralyzed!

Alarm bells rang in Chen Lin's mind.

The Thorn Armor suffered severe energy loss from the lightning chain attack and cannot be fully reactivated in a short period of time.

While its passive defense is strong, it will eventually be worn down by Lina's high-frequency, multi-angle ranged attacks.

We must get close!

He suppressed the numbness, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes!

He swung his right arm suddenly.

"Bloodthirsty Poison Ivy - Spiral Cleaver!"

Several vines, interwoven with dark gold and jade patterns and tipped with pale purple poisonous light, no longer attempted to entwine, but instead, like javelins spinning upwards at high speed, pierced towards Lina with a piercing sound!

This was a desperate attack, an attempt to force Lina to defend or dodge, creating an opportunity for him to get close.

However, Lina was prepared.

A mocking smile played on her lips: "Wind Barrier!"

A wall made of rapidly rotating cyan airflow appeared in front of her in an instant.

Puff puff!

The vines pierced the wind wall as if they were stuck in a quagmire, their speed and power greatly reduced, and they were swayed and bounced away by the violent airflow!

The poisonous fog was also blown away!

"it's over."

Lina shouted, raising her hands high, and a huge cyan vortex composed of countless tiny wind blades formed above her head!

"Sky-Splitting Tornado!"

A terrifying suction force came!

Chen Lin felt his body being involuntarily pulled towards the vortex!

The effects of the wind binding underfoot haven't completely dissipated yet!

The Thorn Armor is running low on energy, and its passive defense is on the verge of collapse under the continuous cutting of the dense wind blades!

He tried to use the vines to stabilize himself, but the vines were also torn and shaken by the strong wind.

"Roar!" The golden light on the Bloodthirsty Vine pattern on Chen Lin's right arm surged!

A fierce and malevolent aura erupted!

He forcefully broke free from some of the wind bindings, stomped his foot hard, and his body, like a cannonball, advanced instead of retreating, charging towards Lina despite the violent wind blades cutting through him.

This is his last chance to fight back!

As long as you get close, you have a chance of winning.

A hint of surprise flashed in Lina's eyes, but she did not panic.

She pressed her hands down.

"fall!"

The enormous wind blade tornado crashed down!

Completely engulf Chen Lin!

Rumble—!

The ear-piercing cutting sounds and energy explosions echoed on the arena.

A storm of azure wind blades raged!

A gasp rippled through the audience.

The storm lasted for several seconds before slowly dissipating.

On the arena, Chen Lin knelt on one knee, his apprentice robe torn to shreds, revealing the thorny iron armor underneath, covered in white marks and broken spikes.

His body was covered in fine bloodstains, his face was pale, a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth, and the vine patterns on his right arm were dull and lifeless, clearly indicating that he had exhausted himself.

But his eyes remained sharp, fixed on Lina not far away.

Lina was also slightly out of breath; the Sky Tornado she had just used had taken a toll on her.

She looked at Chen Lin, who had not fallen, and a look of seriousness flashed in her eyes.

Chen Lin's defensive capabilities and willpower far exceeded her expectations.

The referee wizard appeared on the stage, his powerful mental energy sweeping over Chen Lin:

"Is Chen Lin, number 527, still able to fight?"

Chen Lin took a deep breath and tried to stand up, but his body swayed and a tearing pain shot through his right arm.

The Thorn Armor could not be reactivated for a short time, and its mental energy was also more than half depleted.

Although Lina was quite exhausted, she still had the strength to fight again, and she was at a safe distance.

"...I surrender."

Chen Lin's voice was a little hoarse, but incredibly clear.

He knew that if he continued fighting, the chances of victory would be too small, and he might even be seriously injured, which would be a loss.

The referee nodded and announced loudly, "Number 39, Lina the Windseeker, wins!"

An uproar erupted from the audience!

"Brilliant! Chen Lin's defense was so strong, but he still lost."

"There's no way around it, Lina's kite tactics are too effective against him!"

"That armor is really tough! It withstood so many attacks!"

"But if you can't catch up, even the toughest shell is still a target!"

"Ranged attacks are too weak! The vines can't even touch Lina!"

Evan, Sophia, and the others watched silently from the viewing platform.

Sophia shook her head slightly: "Their defense is indeed formidable, and their willpower is strong enough. But their weaknesses... are too obvious."

Kyle nodded silently in the shadows.

Elena's silver eyes sparkled, as if she were contemplating something.

Chen Lin slowly stood up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and walked off the stage expressionlessly.

Failure is not a pleasant feeling, but there is no frustration, only calm analysis and a stronger sense of urgency.

The Seed of Origin was operating at high speed in my consciousness, replaying every detail of the battle:

Combat Analysis:

The target has a significant speed advantage, with its estimated movement speed being 35% higher than that of the host, and the kite tactic is executed perfectly.

The wind blade attacks are frequent and have a wide coverage, significantly consuming the energy of the Thorn Armor.

The Wind Binding control effect interferes with the host's movement and creates an attack window.

The lightning chain has a strong burst of power and is effective against energy armor, almost breaking through its defenses.

The host lacks countermeasures: the vines' piercing speed is insufficient and they are countered by wind walls; there is a lack of effective ranged attack methods to interrupt the opponent's spellcasting or force them to move.

The Thorn Armor successfully withstood the dense wind blades and a level four lightning chain, demonstrating adequate physical and energy defense. However, its active activation consumes a huge amount of energy and cannot be sustained for long.

Assessment: The weakness in long-range attacks was the core factor leading to the failure.

We need to acquire efficient, fast, and effective long-range attack methods with some interruption or control capabilities as soon as possible.

He raised his head, glanced at Evan and the others on the viewing platform, nodded slightly, and then turned and left.

Failure is an inevitable part of growth, and the shortcomings that are exposed serve as roadmaps for the next step.

This failure, like a quenching incense, made him realize more clearly that he needed to improve his long-range capabilities as soon as possible.