Wizards begin with Occlumency.

Chapter 213 Back and Forth, Overestimating One's Own Strength

The essence of a wizard is rationality and cold-bloodedness.

As her studies deepened and her experiences increased, Lanny Taylor, a third-grader, changed a lot.

It is becoming more and more like the image of a qualified wizard.

The same applies to the Brotherhood, the purebloods, and the half-bloods.

They have one thing in common: no matter what they do, they start to only pursue the result and consciously ignore the process.

The members of "Freedom to Do Anything" are not so extreme under Link's overt or covert guidance and constraints.

However, there are also subtle signs that he may be resorting to any means necessary to achieve his goals.

Link had noticed this long ago, but he didn't care, nor did he want to.

Because there's no way to manage it.

He himself conducted so many autopsies and live studies in the fairy world, did he ever care whether his methods were just?

He used five thugs to test the effects of the "fairy" potion, essentially treating them as lab rats. He never considered whether his motives were morally sound.

If the main beam is crooked, how can you control whether the lower beam is crooked?

Therefore, Link was not surprised to see that Lani had decided to kill him because of some provocation, and that Luna and Gillian did not object and immediately agreed.

They simply watched quietly, without any intention of stopping them.

Pex also felt that the decision of the three captains of the apprentice team was absolutely correct and justified.

What kind of wizard is he if he doesn't kill someone?

The second group, operating the reconnaissance artifacts, approached and scouted the Shadow City team's screen shield, successfully obtaining real-time footage from the Shadow City team's side.

Inside the Shanghai World Financial Center on the 86th floor, a fierce battle was taking place.

The Shadow City team's enemy turned out to be humanoid combat robots.

These combat robots use powerful thermal weapons, which are highly destructive to the surrounding environment, but pose little threat to third-class wizard apprentices.

They failed to inflict even the slightest damage on the Shadow City team, only destroying a large amount of furniture and interior architecture in the hotel.

The Shadow City team did not retaliate; they only defended.

Their plan was clear: to deplete the combat robots' ammunition and then "capture" them alive.

The origin of the Omnic Wizards is indeed not to be underestimated.

Upon "landing," the Shadow City team encountered prototypes of various intelligent golems widely popular in the Wizarding World.

These prototypes would have been extremely valuable over six thousand years ago, when the wizarding world had just discovered this unique ruined world.

At that time, the Mechanized Wizarding faction in the Wizarding World was just starting out, and alchemy was very primitive, urgently needing reference and direction for progress.

According to the rules of this exchange and learning, if the Shadow City team can "capture" these combat robots alive, their gains will surely skyrocket.

"Speed ​​up the search."

After watching the live footage, Lanny immediately gave orders to the three groups.

She made her judgment.

Although they gained a lot, the computers that resembled AI contained a lot of information, the three maps were also very valuable, and some other odds and ends were also quite valuable.

However, all of these combined cannot compare to even a single combat robot.

Based solely on current gains, our side is far inferior to the other side.

After all, the agreement between Rivosos Academy and Shadow City was to judge the total value of the two teams' final gains.

There is no restriction that the resources obtained from exploration and pioneering must be new and discoveries that have never been made in the Wizarding World before.

Ultimately, this exchange and learning activity was only to determine the ownership of a special small world, not to conduct actual exploration and pioneering.

Even if Shadow City brings those combat robots back to the Wizarding World, they'll just end up gathering dust in a warehouse, completely useless.

It must also be judged according to its initial value, which no similar item has ever been found in the Wizarding World, rather than its current true value.

Therefore, the academy team must respond accordingly.

Upon receiving the order, the three teams accelerated their search for high-value supplies.

At Lanny's suggestion, they focused on collecting information carriers, abandoning bulky and low-value items.

"Give it a try, fire a few waves."

Lanny gave Luna another wink.

She actually had two plans: to start by searching for supplies, and to disrupt the other side's rhythm.

Luna understood and immediately commanded the group under her command to switch from guard duty to attack.

Several disposable magical artifacts similar to PRGs were quickly assembled.

After some maneuvering, the RPG connected to the reconnaissance device, obtained real-time reconnaissance data, entered precision guidance mode, and targeted the 86th floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center.

Target: Combat robots.

Objective: To destroy or damage combat robots, eliminating or reducing their value.

It wasn't just the apprentices at Rivoss Academy who knew how to scout enemy positions.

The Shadow City apprentices are also keeping a close eye on their competitors' movements.

The moment the cannons were set up, the other side noticed the anomaly and quickly took action.

A small team was dispatched to stand close to the glass curtain wall and set up a defense.

Another squad was spun off to prepare for a counterattack.

It is only natural that one's own attack would be discovered by the other side.

Nobody is a fool.

Lanny, Luna, and the rest of the team carrying out the orders were all mentally prepared.

I never imagined I could sneak up on my opponent and succeed.

The attack did not stop because the Shadow City Apprentices took timely countermeasures.

Two people from one group used witchcraft to dismantle a section of the glass curtain wall and clear the field of view.

A few whooshing sounds.

The RPG was launched, spewing out a trail of flame.

Seeing this scene, Link seemed to hear Iris's maniacal laughter.

These used to be Iris's favorites.

The distance between the two buildings is not far.

In less than a second, the RPG arrived at the Shanghai World Center.

The Shadow City team's defensive squad activated the protective shield of the magical artifact in time, preventing the RPG from successfully entering the building.

After a brief struggle and collision with the defensive shield, the RPG exploded.

Beyond the thunderous roar, sparks flew and shrapnel flew everywhere.

However, it only shattered the glass curtain walls of a few floors above and below, causing the building to sway slightly, and had little impact on the interior of the building.

The Shadow City team responsible for "capturing" the combat robots didn't even stop.

Apart from the constant clatter of glass shards falling to the ground, the effort yielded absolutely nothing.

Seeing this, Lanny signaled Luna to continue directing the attack, while also instructing Gillian to lead the fourth group to prepare for a counterattack.

Sure enough, the enemy's attack came before the academy's first group could launch their second wave of attacks.

It is also a powerful, one-time-use magical artifact.

Unlike the Academy's RPGs, Shadow City uses "suicide micro-drones".

Dozens of fist-sized flying puppets, gleaming with a dangerous, shimmering green light, charged toward the Shanghai Tower at incredible speed.

Link, with his sharp eyes, noticed a very inconspicuous shadow beneath the green light.

Considering that Shadow City mainly recruits apprentices with an affinity for shadow elements, this shadowy place should not be taken lightly.

"Team leader..."

Pex also noticed and asked for instructions, inquiring whether to issue a warning.

Link raised his palm, stopping Pex from speaking.

Even if we were to get involved, now is not the right time; let's wait and see.

I believe that these outstanding individuals among their peers will be able to respond appropriately.

If all else fails, don't hesitate to step in and clean up the mess.

No sooner said than done.

The four groups activated their defensive shields using standard defensive methods.

However, Gillian had been bombarded by Iris too many times before and had long since developed a cautious habit, so he forcibly ordered the fourth group to activate a full five layers of protective shields.

Such consumption is excessive.

This will put enormous pressure on the reserves of magical artifacts distributed by the academy.

Despite some confusion, Group Four faithfully carried out Gillian's orders.

As if the magical artifacts were free, it activated five layers of defensive shields in succession, stacking them one after another.

The popping sounds soon began in succession.

Fist-sized flying golems crashed into the defensive shield in succession, in a staggered rhythm.

The green light suddenly exploded, spraying out large swaths of corrosive liquid that directly eroded through the first layer of the defensive shield and weakened part of the defensive strength of the second layer.

The shadow hidden beneath the green light transformed into a gigantic python when the light exploded, raising its ferocious head high and swiftly pouncing down.

Bang, bang, bang, thud!

The subsequent three layers of protective shields were shattered as easily as paper under the onslaught of the giant serpentine shadow.

Fortunately, after the second, third, and fourth layers of defensive shields reduced most of the impact, speed, and corrosiveness, the serpentine shadow was defeated by the fifth layer of shields.

It perished along with the fifth layer of protective shield, splattering out several drops of highly corrosive acid.

This prevented any damage to the building, only creating a few gaps, and also prevented harm to the four groups of members closest to the glass curtain wall and one other group of members.

However, such power and noise still frightened some people so much that they broke out in a cold sweat.

Link estimated that the serpentine shadow's destructive power was no less than the three times he had used the ultimate weapon before.

This power is enough to kill a fully-fledged wizard who has lost his defenses.

The fact that the Shadow City team used their killer move right from the start is truly surprising and infuriating!

The four group members couldn't help but turn around, their gazes towards Gillian filled with a hint of respect.

If it weren't for Gillian's somewhat wasteful order, they would have suffered a great loss due to carelessness!

Upon seeing this, the group responsible for the attack became enraged and quickly added more ingredients.

Damn it, we only wanted to attack your "spoils," we didn't mean to fight you, but you fucking wanted to kill us?

Come!

Who is afraid of who?

Let's see who can kill whom in the end!

The powerful weapon that Link had just remembered was immediately pulled out by Team Three.

And when you pull it out, you get two.

"Kill them!"

With a complex expression, a mixture of shame and anger, Luna roared loudly.

The first wave of attacks wasn't designed to kill, actually at her behest.

Since the other party shows no mercy and no compassion, let's see who is more ruthless and vicious.

Lani only cares about the result, not the process.

They didn't care at all about Luna's emotional fluctuations, nor about the changing attitudes of the members of Group 1 and Group 4.

Her eyes were fixed on the Shanghai World Financial Center, which had regained its calm under the action of the "damper".

He mentally calculated how much impact and destructive power would be needed to destroy the combat robots inside the building during the battle.

She quickly came to a conclusion:

Two powerful weapons, said to be able to kill a level one wizard, might make the building shake more violently, but their power was still somewhat lacking and not enough to achieve the effect she wanted!

"Not enough! Increase the quantity, double the attack!"

Lanny promptly issued Luna the latest instructions.

"Yes."

Luna responded loudly.

He then directed the three teams to bring out even more powerful weapons, directly pulling out half of their reserves.

Together with the previous two, there are a total of ten powerful weapons, which will be used for the second wave of attacks.

Meanwhile, under Gillian's command, Group Four set up an even more robust defense.

Furthermore, they developed defensive magical artifacts that are more resistant to corrosion and penetration.

At the same time, Gillian also coordinated the four groups of members to use defensive magical artifacts while simultaneously employing their respective most proficient defensive magical spells to compensate for the weaknesses in the defensive system.

This composed performance caused Shadow City's second wave of attacks, which had significantly increased in intensity, to fail once again.

The group that had prepared twice, causing their attack rhythm to be out of sync, finally launched their second wave of attacks.

Ten powerful weapons were launched with a whoosh.

If the full power of this attack were unleashed, it might be able to destroy the building opposite.

It's like the massive explosion that shocked the world on September 11, 2011.

The Shadow City's deputy leader, having assessed the power of the attack from the Rivosos Academy apprentices, could no longer remain still.

Damn it, have we run into a bunch of lunatics?

We were just a little too aggressive, and you fucking want to bury us alive?

Why such a strong reaction?!

In his anxiety, the deputy team leader didn't even have time to ask for instructions.

Or perhaps he never truly respected Christina, the woman who gained biochemical modifications through her looks and then climbed step by step to a height that didn't belong to her, a woman above him.

Without a word, he flew out from the shadows, waved his hand casually, and unleashed his innate sorcery.

A giant, shadowy hand, seemingly capable of blotting out the sky, suddenly appeared between the two buildings.

With a gentle squeeze, it contained ten deadly weapons, which then quickly faded away.

As if erased by an eraser, it disappeared from the sight of the many third-class wizard apprentices in the academy and vanished into the shadow plane.

The ten powerful weapons were nowhere to be found and could not have any effect on the Shadow City apprentice team.

Link had actually noticed the unusual activity of the Shadow City's deputy leader long ago.

He deliberately waited until the other side had eliminated the attack that could have completely destroyed the Shanghai World Financial Center before taking any action.

"You bastard!"

A loud shout surged from all directions toward the Shadow City deputy leader.

The sound came in layers, a buzzing echo, its origin unknown.

This is a "psychological shock".

A subtle, almost imperceptible surge of mental energy crashed in, knocking loudly on the barrier of consciousness of the Shadow City's deputy leader.

This is "mental relaxation".

The Shadow City deputy leader suddenly felt the entire ruined world begin to spin and fold, and he felt like a bug caught in a hurricane, losing all resistance.

This is "mental madness".

"not good!"

The Shadow City deputy leader gasped inwardly, realizing he was being attacked on a psychological level.

He was just trying to shake off the influence when he suddenly froze, forgetting where he was and what he wanted to do.

"who I am?"

"Where am I?"

"Where did I come from?"

"Where am I supposed to go?"

One question after another surfaced in his mind, completely disrupting the thoughts of the Shadow City's deputy leader.

Even the levitation spell couldn't be maintained, and he plummeted rapidly towards the ground.

This is a flexible application of the "mental maze".

Link, using the pseudo-natal sorcery technique of "continuous casting," unleashed a series of mind-based sorcery spells in less than 0.2 seconds.

Ignoring all moral considerations, before anyone could react, he successfully launched a sneak attack and captured the Shadow City's deputy leader.

There was a loud bang.

Despite undergoing a life-altering transformation, without any defensive measures and relying solely on the passive defense of the armor set he was wearing, the Shadow City deputy leader suffered extremely severe injuries upon falling from a height of over 400 meters.

They wouldn't die on the spot, but they would completely lose their ability to move and think.

His injury is more serious than Scottie Colonna's, and his next match will be even worse.

All the bones in his body, including his skull, were comminuted fractured; his internal organs were ruptured and he was bleeding heavily; he had lost consciousness and was in a coma.

His whole body was trembling instinctively, and he kept spitting out mouthfuls of blood.

Christina arrived late, appearing before the deputy leader and gently extending her smooth, octopus-tentacle-like arm to block Link's stomping blow that came from above.

That's enough.

Christina, having absorbed the impact of Link's attack, quickly withdrew her grotesque arm and, with a strained voice as if two rusty iron plates were grinding together, said, "I...can't...let...you...kill...him."

"Why? Give me a reason."

Link withdrew his strength and floated into the air, no longer stomping down. He looked down at Christina from his high position and asked in a cold tone.

"He...is still...useful."

As Christina spoke, she rummaged around in the chest of the Shadow City's deputy leader, found a pocket watch, and tossed it to Link.

The black smoke, which gave off a sinister, snake-like feeling, quietly reappeared, outlining a sentence.

"A spatial storage artifact, a life-saving token."

Link took the pocket watch, tossed it in the air, and examined it carefully.

It was confirmed that this was indeed a spatial storage artifact, and its internal space was quite large, with a capacity of about two shipping containers, making it a relatively rare and precious item.

But for some reason, it was completely empty inside, with nothing at all.

Perhaps the middleman made a profit from the price difference?

Thank you for your generous donation!

(End of this chapter)