Above the mage

Chapter 338 Victory and Apology

Following the instructions of the staff, Gaode entered the "examination room".

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

When Gao De entered the arena, he found that there were already more than a dozen sea sentinel mages standing around the spell training ground to watch. When they saw him enter, everyone's eyes were on him.

Meanwhile, in the spell practice arena, a burly man, estimated to be at least two meters tall and weighing three hundred kilograms, stood in the center, also looking at him.

That burly man must be Gao De's opponent in this assessment, but his appearance and demeanor are quite different from those of a traditional mage.

Its entire body was abnormally bulky and muscular, giving the impression of a square wall; just standing there was enough to be frightening.

"Your opponent today is Metis. In terms of both military achievements and strength, he has already reached the standard of a corporal mage."

"It's just because he has a volatile temper and is an extremely rare mage skilled in close combat. Last year, during a dispute with a colleague, he physically injured him. Because of this blemish on his record, the Sea Sentinel has not approved his promotion application, which is why he remains a first-class apprentice mage to this day."

"Normally, Metis wouldn't be chosen as an opponent for initial training assessment!"

"Because he doesn't belong to the category of a first-class novice monk in the general sense."

A voice suddenly appeared in Gao De's mind.

He looked at the crowd of onlookers, and Melia was looking at him with some concern.

It was through her [communication skills] that she alerted Gao De to the situation of his opponent.

Gao De's gaze shifted and landed on Zuo Wen Burns, who was standing not far away.

The other person was also looking at him with an ambiguous gaze, making no attempt to hide their mockery.

"During the assessment, it's normal for someone to accidentally injure another person if they don't stop. No one will punish or blame you for that. If you're no match for them, don't be stubborn; admit defeat immediately," Melia reminded 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 don't pass, it's not a big deal. You can just train for a while longer and then apply for the assessment again.

At most, it would just make your resume look worse if you had a record of failing an assessment once.

"Thanks for the reminder." Gao De turned his gaze away from Zuo Wen Burns and expressed his gratitude to Melia for the reminder.

His eyes were utterly calm.

Having already prepared himself mentally after seeing Zuo Wen Burns at the door, he wouldn't be too surprised by any unexpected situation.

On one side of the spell training ground, there was a row of long tables where three veteran sea sentinel mages sat side by side, serving as the "examiners" for this assessment.

"Gao De?" The Sea Sentinel Mage, sitting in the very center, spoke up after seeing Gao De enter.

"Yes," Gao De nodded in confirmation.

"If you're ready, then go on stage and get ready to begin."

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

The six-pointed star magic lamps hanging from the dome in the VIP room were casting a soft glow.

On the dark green carpet, behind a long table made of walnut wood, a mage dressed in the uniform of a sea sentinel captain sat in a high-backed chair, picked up a bone china tea set, and poured a cup of tea.

"Naxi, it's been a long time. You haven't visited me in a long time either."

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

Upon hearing this, Captain Luo chuckled and said, "You're still the same as before, overthinking things and always considering others too much. I'm more than happy that you've come to visit me; how could it be a disturbance?"

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

"Being a guiding mage must be tough," Captain Rol said casually.

"Fortunately, the mages who can join the Sea Sentinels are already very talented, so it's not a big problem," the mage Naxi replied.

"That's true. It didn't take much effort for me to be your mentor back then," Captain Rol smiled and added, "I just didn't expect that you would still be willing to continue as your mentor after the Jaden incident."

Upon hearing the name Jia Deng, the Naxi monk remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "He is indeed the most outstanding monk I have ever mentored."

"It's just a pity that one can only say that those who are not from a dynasty are not trustworthy."

"We can't condemn a group because of one person." Nasi disagreed with Captain Rol's assertion, saying, "How many of the nobles in the Holy Empire are actually native citizens?"

Captain Rohr looked up and gave Naxi a deep look, his brows furrowing slightly, as if he wanted to refute but didn't know how.

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

"I don't know," Nash shook his head, "but I don't think his talent is any less than Jaden's."

"We can't throw the baby out with the bathwater, can we?" he said earnestly to Captain Roll, fully understanding what had happened that day.

Captain Roll thought for a moment, then slowly said, "If that's the case, I'd like to meet him."

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

"After the assessment, he might not be able to come see me," Captain Roel said.

Upon hearing this, Naxi raised an eyebrow, instantly understanding what was going on. "Who is he testing today?"

"Metis," Captain Rol replied.

"Wasn't it originally planned to be Nieren?"

"He had to go on a mission temporarily, so they sent Metis to fill in for him," Captain Rol calmly explained.

"Captain Rohr, how did you end up getting involved with those people?" Naxi glanced outside subconsciously, realizing that the assessment should have already begun, and said helplessly.

Captain Roll raised an eyebrow: "I don't like hearing that."

"However, given what happened with Jaden, it's normal for me to have some prejudice against him. My subordinates wanted to put more pressure on him, so I agreed. Although Metis is reckless, he still knows his limits. Besides, there are examiners watching, so you don't need to worry."

Naxi picked up his teacup, took a sip, and nodded, saying, "It's not that I'm worried, I just don't want to see you getting involved with those people."

"Not worried?" Captain Rol looked at Nasi with considerable surprise. "That's Metis, after all."

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

"If you put it that way, I'm starting to look forward to it," Captain Roll said, knowing Nash's character and that he was not one to speak without reason. He immediately stood up and said, "Let's go see his test."

Spell Training Ground.

Gao De walked forward, meeting everyone's gaze.

The mage named Metis, upon seeing Godd approach, appeared quite polite and introduced himself in a very rough and deep voice: "Godd, I am Metis, your opponent in the trial."

"I hit you a little too hard. If I accidentally hurt you later, it was never intentional. I apologize in advance, so please don't hold a grudge." He narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a seemingly honest tone.

Gao De did not respond, but slowly walked up to Metis and then slowly raised his head.

Because Metis was so tall and imposing, standing there like a small mountain, he looked down at God.

This posture instinctively puts him in a superior psychological position, as if he were already the victor.

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

He couldn't understand why Gao De could be so calm, but a strange anger surged within him. In his eyes, Gao De's calmness or silence was a form of disrespect.

According to the rules, once you enter through Gaode Maps and make eye contact with the other party, the assessment can begin.

Metis may look rugged and honest, but his personality is completely different from his appearance.

He is inherently violent and petty.

Therefore, Metis launched an attack without any hesitation.

The muscles in his arms instantly bulged, like taut ropes, while simultaneously radiating a magical glow.

The next instant, the fleshy hand burst forth with grayish-white rock spikes, and magical light covered the flesh with a layer of granite, turning it into a fist-shaped stone block.

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

"To fight me and stand so close to me is simply courting death," Metis thought to himself as he mercilessly slammed his fists into God's head.

The fists whistled through the air, like two cannonballs; if one were hit, the consequences would be unimaginable.

For mages, the lower their level, the greater their advantage becomes, especially for mages skilled in melee combat.

As a mage's level increases, their abilities only become more diverse, making it increasingly difficult for them to leverage their strengths in melee combat.

Therefore, although Metis's combat strength was recognized as strong among the sea sentinels in the first ring, he was not highly regarded because his tainted record prevented his promotion, which was a sign that the higher-ups did not have high hopes for his potential.

Otherwise, why would we be so strict with truly talented people?

Metis used all his strength in that punch.

Although he may seem dim-witted, he is actually quite perceptive.

Gao De's calm gaze gave him a bad feeling, so he did not underestimate the battle at all, and even had a slight intention to launch a sneak attack.

If this punch lands, even if Gao De reacts and uses defensive spells to defend, he will be put on the defensive and unable to find an opportunity to counterattack.

No mage of this level can cast spells as fast as him punching.

Under his relentless barrage of punches, Gao De could only serve as a punching bag.

Even with all his skills and abilities, Gao De wouldn't be able to replicate this performance, and would inevitably fail the assessment. He might even be severely injured before he could even admit defeat.

This was Metis's original plan.

To his surprise, Gao De seemed to have anticipated his sudden attack, instantly unleashing [Wolf Speed+].

Gao De moved his feet quickly, taking a sidestep to dodge Metis's powerful punch.

In fact, it was indeed something that had been expected.

[Perceiving Emotions+] (Prophecy, 1st Ring): You adjust your senses to receive the emotions of others for a period of time (up to ten minutes).

The moment Gao De saw Metis, he cast [Perceive Emotions+] to confirm the nature of this trial.

Through the "Perceive Emotions+" feature, Gaode Maps detected Metis's strong sense of malice and violence.

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

A person full of malice is an enemy, and Gao De felt there was no need to be hypocritical towards enemies.

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

This is the result of a combination of special training and the enhancement of the [Ninja Body].

In this state, Gaode possesses extremely proficient mobile spellcasting abilities.

His finger pointed forward slightly.

A point of light appeared beneath Metis's clothing on his chest, then quickly spread outwards, transforming into a peculiar, mysterious, and complex totem.

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

However, due to the concealment of clothing, the others did not notice the appearance of this totem.

At this moment, Metis had already turned his fist into a hammer and was striking towards the side of his neck.

Faced with this barrage, Gaode seemed to be caught off guard and did not make any dodging movements.

Upon seeing this, Metis revealed a ferocious smile.

hum!

The next instant, Metis felt as if his punch had struck an iron shield.

It's [Mage Armor]!

Metis reacted immediately, and was surprised by the speed of the opponent's casting and the good luck that the opponent had just managed to cast [Mage Armor] at the last second before his palm strike landed.

It looked dangerous, but in reality, it was all under Gaode's control.

His Leomon magic network was not fully completed, but the magic network connecting his limbs and the sea of ​​magic had already been established.

Therefore, his spellcasting speed is now even faster than before.

Moreover, he didn't just use ordinary [Mage Armor], but [Mage Armor+]!

Additional: While the Mage Armor is active, the force field will behave like real armor, causing the attacker to experience a corresponding physical recoil when the target is subjected to a direct physical attack.

Metis used all his strength in that hammer punch, so the reaction force from the mage armor was also exceptionally powerful.

His palms, enhanced by the Stone Fist Technique, were as hard as granite and wouldn't suffer any damage. However, the intense recoil force traveled from his palms to his arms and then throughout his entire body, making him feel slightly dizzy.

Even so, his movements only paused slightly, and the next moment he skillfully adjusted his breathing, preparing to exert force again.

Metis's combat ability, at least at the first level, is widely recognized as strong.

However, in that extremely short gap, Gao De's next spell was already cast.

A small area of ​​ground centered on Metis's feet suddenly shimmered with a swampy, dark brown sheen.

[Greasy Technique+]!

Under the spell of the Oily Spell, the ground in that ten-foot area instantly came alive, rippling with translucent gelatinous hues.

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

"A petty trick!" Metis thought to himself.

【Greasy Spell】is a very common first-level spell. If it could stump him, he wouldn't have such a reputation among the Sea Sentinels.

Moreover, there are many ways to control greasiness.

The most commonly used skill is [Jump].

Because the area affected by the grease technique is very small, only a small area of ​​ten feet.

With the help of the Leap spell, the mage can easily jump out of the range of the Grease spell.

And Metis did just that.

He activated his jumping ability at lightning speed, and then leaped out of the range of the greasy spell with an extremely agile posture.

But just as he was about to make his next move, he saw Gao De give him an extremely strange smile.

What are you laughing at!

Enraged, Metis took a step forward, intending to launch another attack, but his foot slipped, and he stumbled, almost falling.

Having finally regained his balance, Metis, still completely bewildered, saw God snap his fingers.

What does that mean?

Before he could even turn his head, Metis felt a sharp burning pain coming from his feet.

Looking down, I saw that my shoes were on fire.

What happened?

[Greasy Technique+]!

Additional note: Grease in the area will stain objects entering the area and this will last for one hour.

Although Metis escaped the grease spell's range, the grease still clung to the soles of his shoes.

That's why he almost fell just now.

The flammable grease allowed Gao De to easily set Metis's feet on fire with a single "Ignition" spell.

This amount of fire damage wouldn't normally be considered extremely fatal.

The problem is that God had preemptively cast a rare, one-hit wonder spell, Hunter's Mark+, on Metis to increase its damage.

In other words, the damage Metis is currently taking comes not only from the fire damage of [Ignite], but also from the additional damage of [Hunter's Mark+].

This would be extremely deadly.

However, Gaode Maps was not prepared to stop there.

With a thought, another spell model was activated.

【Insect Swarm Spawn+】

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

The damage caused by these insects is only minor toxicity; their main advantage lies in their ability to produce negative effects, such as paralysis.

However, with the addition of [Hunter's Mark+], these minute but frequent poison damages instantly become a force to be reckoned with.

In the blink of an eye, Metis felt excruciating pain all over his body, and his consciousness became blurred.

At this point, Gaode has already won.

But he didn't stop. He took a step forward, and his fingernails grew longer and became unusually sharp.

【Cat Claw Technique】.

brush!

brush!

brush!

Several claws swept across Metis's face, scratching his skin until it was bloody and mangled.

All of this happened so fast that Metis couldn't even utter a sound.

It wasn't until Metis's face had been scratched raw by Gao De that the three examiners suddenly realized what was happening.

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

The instant he spoke, Gao De, who had been launching an exceptionally fierce attack just moments before, immediately stopped and lowered his hands.

"ah!!!"

Metis's massive body crashed to the ground with a thud, and he clutched his bloodied and mangled face, howling in agony.

"My name is Gao De. I hit you rather hard and didn't control myself. It was definitely not intentional. I'm sorry, please don't hold a grudge against me."

Gao De dispelled his spell, patted his sleeves as if straightening slightly wrinkled clothes, and then calmly "apologized" to Metis, who was rolling on the ground.

(End of this chapter)