Wizards begin with Occlumency.

Chapter 94 Cold-blooded Madness

Link could see it very clearly.

The moment the stone struck, Rivers transformed into flames once more and escaped from the swamp.

Only Antoine Sheldon himself was hit by the falling rocks.

Sure enough, Rivers appeared at the edge of the ring.

Although he was in a sorry state, covered in blisters, with a large gash on his forehead bleeding profusely, his right arm hanging limply, possibly dislocated or fractured, he was even somewhat unsteady on his feet.

However, Rivers was undoubtedly the winner of this extremely short duel.

Those who stand live, those who fall die.

It's that simple.

Looking up at the "camera" overlooking the ring, Rivers hooked his index fingers from the corners of his mouth upwards, using the bloodstains to draw a flat, large V-shape, then grinned, revealing a bright, sunny smile.

At this moment, Rivers reminded Link of a completely deranged clown.

Afterwards, Rivers gave an exit bow, refused the staff's help, picked up his belongings, and staggered away, struggling to stay upright.

Inside the private room.

Paro the Wizard's face was so gloomy it could drip water.

Decades ago, he founded the "New Blood Mutual Aid Association" with the slogan "Sincere Unity" and the purpose of "Mutual Help".

I never imagined that after just a few years of not paying attention, things would have fallen to such a state so quickly.

They schemed against each other, fought for power and profit, and bullied their classmates.

What pained and disgusted him the most was that there was a pimp involved!

Why did the Wizard of Paro bring Antoine Hilton to the appointment after receiving intelligence and guessing Peter Lionel's intentions?

I just want to see if this current chairman, who has been in office for two years, really has the strength to support him in using those methods.

Could you kill the equally disgusting Rivers Francis?

As it turns out, Antoine Hilton did not disappoint the Wizard of Paro in terms of being disappointing.

"Peter, have you finished both of your tasks?"

After a moment, the wizard Paro regained his composure and asked indifferently.

He was reluctant to stay any longer.

"Of course, please do as you please."

Peter Lionel knew that tonight's infighting within the "New Blood Society" was merely a way to disgust the wizard Paro.

However, this is exactly what he wants.

The wizard Paro is disgusting, and Peter Lionel is happy.

So, a cheerful Peter Lionel generously stated, "But if you continue to relax here and have fun, all your expenses will be on me."

The wizard Paro waved his hand, got up and left.

Celine the Wizard and Cody the Wizard followed.

The four second-year members of the "New Blood Mutual Aid Society" were still reeling from the shock of Antoine Hilton's death. They were somewhat stunned and reacted a beat late before taking any action.

Link had no choice but to keep up with them.

Therefore, the five of them were three steps behind the wizard Paro, and two steps behind the wizards Celine and Cody.

Sophie Lucia gritted her teeth and whispered a few words in her cousin Soren Lucia's ear.

"etc!"

Soren Lucia immediately spoke up, stopping the group of wizards, including Paro.

"Paro, something seems to have come up unexpectedly."

Peter Lionel trusted Soren Lucia, who had risked her life with him several times, and without even asking, he chimed in, "Why don't we wait a little longer?"

"What is it?"

The wizard Paro turned around expressionlessly. "If you have something to say, say it quickly; otherwise, don't waste my time. Peter, you don't want to see me really lose my temper!"

Soren Lucia then whispered in Peter Lionel's ear what Sophie Lucia had said.

"Paro, you seem to have brought a kid who isn't a member of your 'New Blood Mutual Aid Society' tonight. You're not telling me your 'New Blood Mutual Aid Society' has fallen on hard times and needs outside help to participate in our bet, are you?"

Peter Lionel smiled sarcastically after hearing Soren Lucia's words, "Hmm... as long as you admit your 'New Blood Mutual Aid Society' has fallen on hard times, I can completely let this kid participate in our bet. Otherwise, people will laugh at me for being afraid of a brat!"

Sophie Lucia, who was expecting something to happen, was dumbfounded.

This was completely different from what she had imagined.

Shouldn't it have been Peter Lionel who forbade that guy from participating in the bet, and then that guy lost Paro's favor and support, gradually fading into obscurity and finding it difficult to rise again?

How could this happen?

Sophie Lucia felt deeply disappointed.

Link was also quite surprised by the sudden change.

I thought that was the end of tonight's events, and that there was nothing more to it about him.

Who would have thought that just as he was about to leave the private room, a sudden complication arose because he was a step too slow.

The wizard Paro glanced at Link, who had stepped aside as he turned, and said in a flat tone, "I admit, the 'New Blood Mutual Aid Society' has fallen on hard times. Peter, are you happy about that?"

After saying that, Wizard Paro ignored Peter Lionel and his group and turned to leave.

This time, the group was not stopped and filed out.

On the way back, we still traveled in two hovercars, but there was one less person than on the way there.

Halfway there, the two hovercars separated, one heading towards the East District Pharmacy and the other towards the Academy.

In the car, Link pondered the battle that had just taken place.

One detail Link remembers clearly is that Rivers and Antoine were both equipped with runic items and magical artifacts before entering the ring.

However, during the actual battle, the two relied solely on witchcraft to compete, without carrying or using any external objects.

This might be due to the rules, or it might be due to the tacit understanding between the wizard Paro and Peter Lionel.

Regardless of the reason, it sent chills down Link's spine.

Whether it's rules or tacit understanding, it shows that this kind of situation, where subordinates fight to the death, is not uncommon, but rather frequent, which is why it has come about.

When Antoine Hilton was provoked, of the three wizards, only Celine respected Antoine's wishes.

Both the wizard Paro and the wizard Cody tacitly agreed that this life-or-death duel was inevitable.

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

At this moment, Link's understanding of wizards finally transcended appearances and pointed directly to one of their essential aspects.

With a soft sigh, Link collected his thoughts, stopped thinking about random things, and turned to look at the night outside the car window.

Then, Link's gaze gradually turned indifferent.

The hovercar moved silently, the night outside the window receding.

After some time, the hovercar stopped at the station outside the academy.

The second and third-year members of the "New Blood Mutual Aid Association" couldn't wait to get off the bus and head to the academy.

The growing chill emanating from Link was becoming unbearable for them.

Not every 12, 13, 14, or 15-year-old new recruit has blood and lives on their hands like Link and Rivers!

Link deliberately got off the train slowly, walked slowly out of the station, and slowly walked to a secluded corner, where he waited quietly.

He had previously caught a glimpse of Rivers riding a two-wheeled vehicle, closely following the hovercar he was sitting in.

A moment later, Rivers, still disheveled but with a crazed expression, slowly emerged from the night.

"Link Grand, you've got some nerve."

"So-so."

Two weeks ago, Link's first choice would have been to sneak back into the academy.

Even if we were to fight, we would mainly use ambush tactics, launching several surprise attacks first.

Instead of waiting for Rivers to appear and preparing to confront the weakened Rivers head-on, as is the case now.

People's thoughts and personalities can change.

"Aha!"

Rivers stopped a distance away, arms outstretched, feigning complete vulnerability, and laughed maniacally, "You actually want to kill me! Is it to avenge Antoine Hilton? Or do you sense my threat and want to eliminate me beforehand?"

Link remained silent, but prepared to use a powerful weapon that the wizard Celine had purchased for him.

Once the battle began, Link had no intention of simply engaging Rivers in a head-on magic fight; he would resolve the issue with magical artifacts if possible.

"It's okay if you don't speak, I'll do it!"

Rivers, with his arms still outstretched, took a few steps back to reduce his perceived threat. His face was manic, but his tone became unusually serious. "You and I are the same kind of people. We'll do anything to climb the ladder!"

However, you chose the broad road of diligent study, while I chose a shortcut.

From the day I succumbed to temptation and learned the incomplete "Raging Flame Meditation Method," my fate was sealed; I would meet a terrible end.

The same goes for Antoine Hilton.

He genuinely believed that as long as he curried favor with Ira Smith of the Advanced Academy and was re-elected as president, he could find a way to catch the eye of Wizard Paro.

Little did he know, how could the Wizard of Paro possibly be interested in such a scheming, rotten person who neglected to manage the 'New Blood Mutual Aid Society' properly!

Link frowned. He couldn't understand why Rivers, who had gone to such lengths to bypass the wizards of Paro and track him down to this place, was only talking about irrelevant things.

"What are you trying to say?"

Link interrupted Rivers' long-winded explanation, coldly snapping, "If you want to fight, then fight! Why all the nonsense?"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Rivers grinned, tears streaming down his face. "Did you think I'd gone mad, that all I could think about was lust and killing?"

"Isn't that right?"

Link calmly countered with a question.

From the very beginning, Link never treated Rivers Francis as a normal person.

Being dominated by anger is no different from being dominated by madness.

"All right."

Rivers nodded, surprisingly agreeing. "I really am crazy, I've been crazy for a long time!"

The tone shifted abruptly; Rivers composed himself, his manic expression hardening, and asked with unusual seriousness, "Would you be willing to hear the last words of this madman before he dies?"

Without saying a word, Link activated the glasses to detect disguises and see through invisibility.

The defensive capabilities of the "Defender 3202" set are also readily available, with the cloak and boots linked together, allowing Link to teleport through the air at any time.

After making all the necessary preparations, Link finally spoke up: "Your mouth is yours to say, so say whatever you want."

It's not that Link is unwilling to initiate attacks, nor that he prefers to play a defensive counter-attacking style.

Given his current situation, facing a powerful third-tier wizard apprentice like Rivers, playing a defensive counter-attacking strategy is the safest approach.

"Don't fight head-on, remain calm and wait for the situation to change before striking decisively."

The words of the sorceress Celine still echoed in my ears.

Antoine Hilton, who ignored advice and went head-to-head with Rivers, is still in the grave – a cautionary tale.

As long as Link makes good use of the powerful defense of the "Defender 3202" set, doesn't get reckless, doesn't lose his temper, and can secure a draw or even a win, he'll be very stable.

Let it drag on.

He's not in a hurry.

Rivers was genuinely surprised by Link's behavior.

Is this guy a reincarnated turtle?

So sneaky?

But thinking about it, it's normal. If this guy weren't so inconsistent, sometimes playing it safe and sometimes being aggressive, knowing exactly when to play it safe and when to be aggressive...

It's also impossible for him to kill Enrique Bernalis and Harold Andrews in succession and still thrive, not only catching the eye of the wizard Paro but also getting involved with the wizard Celine.

A few days ago, when Rivers approached "Pureblood Will," he was repeatedly questioned by a girl named Sophie Lucia about Link Grand.

At the time, he was puzzled.

Why would a local apprentice from the Lucia family, a prominent family even in the Michel district, care so much about a country bumpkin newcomer from the Storm Sea?

Out of curiosity, Rivers spent some time and magic stones purchasing relevant information.

After reading the intelligence, Rivers learned about Sophie Lucia's two academic disputes with Link Grand, as well as Link Grand's recent research findings.

In his battle with Antoine Hilton, Rivers successfully killed Antoine, but he was also seriously injured.

Relying on the special nature of the "Rage of the Meditation" technique, how could one not pay the price for forcibly using a 1st-level sorcery twice?

Rivers could clearly feel his internal organs burning bit by bit, and his reason being gradually drained away.

He was indeed, as previously stated, in a near-death state, and his actions were completely erratic, driven entirely by instinct.

Do whatever you want, and don't consider anything else.

Rivers had originally intended to find a quiet place to die peacefully.

He encountered a hovercar carrying Link Grand on the road, and on a whim, he decided to see Link one last time before he died.

He himself didn't know the reason.

Do people speak good words when they are about to die?

How is that possible!

"Watch out, Link Grand!"

Rivers shook his head, clearing his mind of his jumbled thoughts, and solemnly reminded him, "The Wizard of Paro is not a bad person, but he is not a good person either!"

Good people cannot become qualified wizards.

If one day you fall into a situation like Antoine Hilton is today, he won't save you either.

You need to plan ahead, and don't end up like that fool Antoine, who only thinks about currying favor with those in power, manipulating power, and bullying others!

Link frowned: "You just wanted to say this?"

He found it somewhat strange, as his relationship with the wizard Paro was at most that of an investor and an investee.

There was absolutely no affection involved, nor was there any question of flattery or dependence.

How come in Rivers' eyes, it seems like the two of them have a very close subordinate relationship?

Rivers chuckled self-deprecatingly upon hearing this: "That's true. How could a shrewd guy like you be as foolish as Antoine and me?"

As he spoke, Rivers suddenly lowered his hands, clutched his abdomen, his face contorted in pain, the veins in his neck bulging, and his jaw clenched.

After a few moments, Rivers suppressed the pain, caught his breath, and suddenly made a strange request.

"Can you kill me?"

Link was surprised.

He was truly bewildered by Rivers's erratic and illogical words and actions.

Is this some kind of new fraudulent attack tactic?

I can win as long as I go crazy and drive my enemies just as crazy as I do.

Link remained silent, simply tossing out a few self-destructing fire grenades to see if Rivers would dodge.

However, Rivers did not dodge, nor did he defend himself.

He let the self-destructing explosive mine roll down to his feet.

Let the self-destructing fire and thunder explode.

Thank you to reader "Psychic Walker" for the generous donation!

(End of this chapter)