Wizard: I can refine all things.

Chapter 54 Meeting

"What...what happened just now?"

The wizard who was watching the battle spoke with a hint of uncertainty.

"Is that magic armor?"

The wizard next to him shook his head. He hadn't seen it clearly. After all, the crystal ball was just a broadcast, and many details were certainly not as clear as if they had seen it with their own eyes.

The wizards turned their gaze to Jord, who was smugly stroking his beard and glancing sideways at Love Jon beside him.

"Ai Qiao En, why aren't you saying anything?"

The soul fire in Aijoen's eyes instantly flared up, and a powerful surge of magical energy erupted from his body.

But everyone present was a wizard, and this little bit of magical fluctuation had no other effect than letting the other wizards know that Aijon was not in a calm mood.

"Jorod, what exactly is that thing?" a wizard asked.

Not being there in person, and relying solely on the broadcast from the crystal ball, none of the wizards present, except those with modified eyes, could clearly see what actually happened.

"Ahem, that's a magical armor that my disciple researched. You've all seen its effects, but I won't reveal any further details."

Jorrod's explanation perfectly illustrated the meaning of nonsense literature, drawing boos from many wizards.

However, everyone knows that aside from the magical armor sold to outsiders, no true alchemists would reveal information about the magical armor they use themselves. But some wizards who know about the Joseph incident a few years ago already have some guesses in their minds.

Let's return to the examination room.

After Richard killed Sly, he was enveloped in an energy fluctuation that would erupt every few seconds. This fluctuation prevented Richard from encountering a single apprentice on his way to the center; even with the help of Wuni's vision, he could only see the backs of the other apprentices as they fled.

"That's actually a good thing, it saves me from being bothered by people."

Richard chuckled self-deprecatingly, then used levitation to accelerate his journey towards the center.

Along the way, Richard's antics not only drove away apprentices but also attracted many audacious individuals eager to rise to power. However, these people, instead of addressing Richard, started fighting amongst themselves.

The contrast is stark: Richard is clearly a stronger opponent, while the nameless individuals beside him with their weak markings are obviously better adversaries.

With the combined help of levitation and the mark's fluctuations, Richard traversed dozens of kilometers in just one hour, arriving at the center of the examination hall—the beam of light shooting into the sky.

Upon arrival, Richard began to wait, his speed clearly exceeding that of Ellie, who needed to hunt apprentices.

While waiting, he not only restored his magic power but also made some small preparations.

As an apprentice of the alchemy school, he has many gadgets that can help him in battle.

……

"what!"

A pitiful scream pierced the night sky as an apprentice who had tried to ambush Richard under cover of darkness was trapped in a clump of unknown thorns.

The apprentice's blood flowed from the wounds caused by the thorns, and was then absorbed by the thorns, becoming nutrients for its growth.

The apprentice tried to resist, but the next moment a black greatsword ended his life.

"Another brainless idiot." Richard yawned, watching quietly as the apprentice's corpse was drained dry by the thorns.

This thorn is called the Vampire Thorn, a gadget of bioalchemy. Jordold didn't have much knowledge of this field, and Richard had only scratched the surface.

But for wizards, knowledge is power; even a little knowledge can sometimes defeat fools.

As the apprentice's mark was transferred, Richard's energy fluctuations increased again.

"If this keeps up, I feel like everyone in the exam hall will know I'm here."

Richard scratched his head and then searched the apprentice.

He didn't really want to search the bodies, because these people were poorer than he had imagined. Even on an apprentice like Sly, Richard only found two hundred magic stones and two finished-grade magic armor pieces.

Furthermore, one of the two magical armor pieces is a custom-made magical armor piece, suitable only for apprentices of the Necromancer school; it provides no enhancement effect for other schools.

If Richard hadn't managed to get a few high-quality bones from the skeletal golem at the end, the spoils from killing Sly would have been less than what Richard could have made selling potions for a year.

Keep in mind that this is Sly's entire fortune.

After plundering the apprentices, Richard was about to go back to rest when an energy fluctuation came from the horizon, its size no less than Richard's.

Richard narrowed his eyes, his gaze instantly shifting to Wuni.

At night, Wuni's night vision is undoubtedly the best tool for observing the enemy.

"This person... why does he look so familiar?"

Richard stroked his chin. Although the person looked somewhat familiar, he still carefully activated his bloodline and transformed into a muscular behemoth over two meters tall.

"Richard, so that's why you've been refusing to transform in front of me." The figure drew closer. "So this is what your transformation looks like."

As Li looked at the approaching figure, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

"Ellie?"

Ellie, leaning on her staff, approached Richard and curiously touched the scales.

"He's not exactly good-looking, but he certainly has a commanding presence."

Richard shut down his bloodline and looked Ellie around with some surprise.

"Is the Evocation School really that powerful? Ellie, you actually killed twenty apprentices."

Ellie rolled her eyes at him. "Even if the Evocation School isn't that great, it's still better than this blood alchemy brute. You're a wizard apprentice now, can't you use some spells?"

As she spoke, Ellie punched Richard in exasperation.

When her teacher Susanna learned that Richard was Jorod's apprentice, she initially admired him, but upon hearing that Richard was following the path of bloodline alchemy, she immediately became unfriendly towards him.

"Those who practice bloodline alchemy are all barbarians!"

So said Susanna, a disciple of the Black Tower Archmage and a dual-wielding sorcerer of both magic and curses.

After joking around for a while, the two started talking about the real topic.

"Your teacher must have told you, right?" Ellie's expression turned serious. "This year's ranking rewards are extraordinary. If nothing unexpected happens, it should be an opportunity to explore the Dean's secret realm."

Richard nodded. As Alex's old friend, Joe Lord had heard long ago that the reward for this exam was different from usual.

"So what are you planning to do next?" Ellie asked.

Richard pulled a scroll from his waist that explained the exam rules.

"What do you think about hunting these high-level monsters?"

Ellie frowned slightly. "My mentor told me that these monsters were slaves captured by the Dean from another world, and their strength is far beyond that of ordinary high-level magical beasts."

"But this is the best way to earn points." Richard pointed to the rules. "Each one is worth fifty points. If we want to kill wizard apprentices, we need to kill at least two apprentices of the same level as us."

Richard knew that these monsters were incredibly powerful, but if they didn't hunt them down, their points wouldn't have such a dramatic lead.

Richard had already experienced the slippery nature of wizard apprentices. Later on, these apprentices would all have markings that made it impossible for them to play dumb and deceive others. At that point, it would be much more difficult to kill them.

After a moment's hesitation, Ellie finally agreed to Richard's plan.

She didn't have a better solution.

After agreeing on their battle strategy, the two rested on the spot.

High-level monsters are not released into the examination hall at the beginning; they are introduced on the fifteenth day of the examination.

(End of this chapter)