Chinese professors at the Wizarding Academy

Gu Chen suddenly turned to the side, raising his right hand instantly.

His experiences at Gray Tower Academy have profoundly changed Gu Chen's thinking. Originally, he might have had some thoughts of helping, but now it is clear that his own safety must be put first.

Who knows what kind of person or thing will come out?

Killing him would be best!

"My current thinking is starting to sound like a wizard's..."

"This indiscriminate killing mentality is really typical of Gray Tower Academy."

Unbeknownst to him, Gu Chen found that his thoughts had now become quite... in line with the "simple and honest folk customs" of Gray Tower Academy.

But the expected attack did not occur.

A figure staggered out from the churning fog.

"Who's this?"

Gu Chen thought to himself, but did not speak. Instead, he stared intently at the other person.

Although it did not launch an attack immediately, it may have been feigning sleep to lure the enemy.

What if it's just bait, or a way to lower your guard before suddenly attacking?

It was a young male wizard apprentice, wearing a tattered gray robe with tattered strips of cloth fluttering in the mist, and he looked quite haggard.

The young male wizard apprentice had a gaping wound on his chest, from which dark red blood gushed out, staining most of his robes red.

"A very strong smell of blood... the air is thick with the stench of blood, and I can also detect a faint scent of magic..."

"It seems their strength isn't very high..."

As a blood sorcerer, Gu Chen could easily sense the magic that emanated from evil deeds into the air.

The young male wizard was as pale as a sheet, his eyes were unfocused, and his left arm was twisted unnaturally, clearly broken.

Upon seeing Gu Chen, fear flashed in his eyes at first, followed by a flurry of emotions on his face—hope, fear, and longing...

Finally, these emotions merged into a desperate plea:

"Help...help me...they...they're chasing me!"

"My lord, my lord!"

"Help me!!!"

"Don't kill me! I'll do anything! I know a lot of things! You won't lose out by saving me!"

Before he could finish speaking, several loud noises rang out in the air, and several dark figures rapidly approached from the sea of ​​fog behind him!

Those were three Mist-Eating Pythons, a native monster that lived in the Misty Valley. Gu Chen had observed them from a great distance before, but they were very small individuals.

These three are clearly different; they are obviously larger, their scales are darker, and the single horn on their foreheads is thicker and sharper.

Their eyes flashed with a ferocious red light, they hissed, and their venomous tongues flickered in and out rapidly.

"Peak of the first ring... even approaching the second ring." Gu Chen made a judgment instantly. Each of these three Mist-Eating Pythons was strong enough to hunt down a first-ring wizard on its own!

The wounded young apprentice was clearly no longer able to escape; his injuries were far too severe. Blood continued to flow from his body, and his wizard's robes were tattered, with strips of cloth scattered and flying wildly in the air, as if to suggest that his life was slipping away with the wind.

Finally, he simply couldn't run anymore.

"thump!"

He slipped and fell to the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood!

The young male wizard apprentice finally collapsed to the ground, using his remaining right hand to conjure a crumbling ice shield.

This is of course futile.

Gu Chen's gaze swept quickly between the apprentice and the Mist-Eroding Python.

It certainly doesn't look like a trap; why would someone be in such a sorry state?

By smelling the blood in the air, Gu Chen confirmed that this was indeed an apprentice, with very weak ice magic skills, and was far from being a wizard... but he could not let his guard down.

To save or not to save?

Rescuing someone means there's a high probability their location will be revealed...

He could easily defeat these few mist-corroding pythons; dealing with them was not difficult for him.

Gu Chen possesses strength far exceeding that of wizards of the same level... Saving this apprentice shouldn't be difficult, and he claims to have a lot of information... I don't know if it's true or not, but maybe this apprentice really does know something.

However, if we make a move, there's a high chance we'll alert Joebeck or his men... after all, Joebeck's location is most likely deep within the fog.

This unexpected turn of events could disrupt the entire raid plan.

If we don't save him... this apprentice will surely die. Moreover, since the Mist Python was already present after killing him, it will likely follow the scent to find him in the end.

"Alchemy Workshop..."

"Well, it's not necessarily a bad thing."

At that moment, Gu Chen changed his mind, because he caught a glimpse of a familiar emblem on the apprentice's tattered robe—the mark of the Gray Tower Academy's "Alchemy Workshop."

Apprentices in the alchemy workshop are usually skilled at making various potions and magical items, so perhaps... he knows something.

Maybe he's not lying when he says he knows something?

"Tsk."

Gu Chen clicked his tongue and moved.

I was just thinking that I was quite in line with the simple and honest folk customs of Gray Tower Academy, but now I've gotten involved in things that aren't my business.

Once the decision was made, Gu Chen acted instantly!

He did not charge directly at the Mist-Eroding Python, but stood quietly.

The young apprentice had already given up all hope; it seemed the senior in front of him was planning to let him die...

"Sigh... Am I going to die here?"

"Damn it..."

The apprentice sighed inwardly...

Am I really going to die here?

"Senior, run! It looks like you're no match for them either! Escape first!"

As the saying goes, a dying man's words are good. Seeing his death approaching, he decided to persuade the stranger in front of him!

And it was quite obvious that the three Mist Pythons had already spotted Gu Chen!

"puff!"

And at that very moment!

The first Mist-Eating Python hissed angrily, its thick body suddenly sprang forward, and its blood-red maw snapped straight at Gu Chen!

Gu Chen did not retreat but advanced.

He leaned forward, and just as the eroding python was about to bite, he shifted his feet strangely, narrowly missing the snake's snout. At the same time, a dark red light flashed in his hand, slashing diagonally upwards!

"Sizzle!"

A crimson light flashed across the serpent's jaws, cutting into the gaps between its scales and creating a spray of dark purple blood.

The Mist Python was in pain, its head snapped back, and its long tail swept out like a steel whip!

Gu Chen had anticipated this. He used the momentum of his forward charge to fall to the ground, rolled to avoid the tail strike, and when he got up, there was a thin red thread in his hand!

And the other end of the line... of course, is on this mist-corroding python!

"A magical connection!?"

The apprentice cried out in shock, his face filled with astonishment!

I was just randomly calling him "senior," could it be that I really met a wizard, a real wizard!

"brush!"

A crimson light burst forth, causing the Mist-Eating Python to tremble violently. Seven or eight streams of blood, each as thick as a bowl, spurted out, coiling around the wounded python. The Mist-Eating Python struggled fiercely, but to no avail!

At that very moment, the second and third Mist-Eating Pythons pounced simultaneously!

Gu Chen's eyes narrowed, and he activated the Star Gazing Technique at full power. The attack trajectories, speeds, and angles of the two Mist-Eroding Pythons were instantly calculated, disassembled, and reassembled.

As the saying goes, all-knowing is omnipotent.

Gu Chen can't be omnipotent, but since he has calculated these data, he can make many decisions!

In the end, he chose the riskiest, but also the most likely, option to end the battle in one fell swoop.

Instead of dodging the attack of the second Mist-Eating Python, he charged straight at it!

Just as the two were about to collide, Gu Chen suddenly ducked and slid through the gaping maw of the Mist Python.

At this moment, the two blood lines were completely connected to the Mist-Eating Python!

"The location of the heart! Oh my god!"

The apprentice clearly saw that the wizard had connected the magical link to the heart!

Why was he so brave to do that? Wasn't he afraid of dying?!

"Pfft!"

Disembowel!

Scalding hot internal organs and blood exploded out, splattering all over Gu Chen.

The second Mist-Eating Python let out an extremely shrill hiss, its body writhing wildly, but its life was rapidly slipping away.

The third mist-corroding python's bite was already at the top of Gu Chen's head!

It seemed that Gu Chen had no way to avoid it; this blow was bound to hit...

but,

The Mist Python's attack suddenly froze, and its entire body abruptly shrank.

The crisis is over.

The third Mist-Eating Python's struggle came to an abrupt end, its massive body crashing to the ground.

The battle began in the blink of an eye and ended within ten seconds.

Gu Chen didn't even dabble in breathing. He cautiously looked around to make sure there were no other Mist-Eroding Pythons lurking or anything else that might attract attention.

Then he went to the apprentice and quickly checked his injuries.

The wound is deep, there has been excessive blood loss, the left arm is broken, magic power is exhausted, and the poison of the Mist-Eating Python has been inflicted... The situation is bad, but there is still hope.

Gu Chen took out a small leather bag from his pocket and poured out two pills. These were given to him by Isera, who had given him several portions.

"This thing isn't worth much, you can have it."

Gu Chen still remembers Ysera's exact words...

One pill to stop bleeding and promote tissue regeneration, and another to detoxify. He pried open the apprentice's mouth, stuffed the pill in, and then poured it down his throat with a small amount of water.

Then, he began to treat the apprentice's chest wound. He didn't have specialized tools, but Gu Chen also didn't need to use any rough methods, such as sterilizing with fire or cutting open the necrotic flesh to squeeze out the poisonous blood...

For a blood sorcerer, is poisonous blood also considered blood?

"alright."

Such meticulous manipulation, down to the blood vessels, is nothing to a blood sorcerer.

Gu Chen controlled the poisonous blood in the apprentice's body and sucked it all out. Then, he casually flicked his hand, and the black blood was spilled on the ground.

"Sizzle sizzle..."

The blood was still sizzling where it had splattered.

However, the snake venom has been neutralized.

"Thanks……"

The apprentice was weak, but there was a light in his eyes. He subconsciously thanked him, a hint of admiration flashing through his heart!

This person... no, this senior wizard, is incredibly powerful!

"You're welcome. I hope you really know something."

After treating the wound, Gu Chen used two tree branches and strips of cloth to immobilize the apprentice's fractured left arm.

Only after doing all this did he breathe a slight sigh of relief.

He found a nearby rock to lean against, recovering his strength while waiting for his apprentice to recover.

About ten minutes later, the apprentice's complexion improved significantly.

He struggled to sit up:

"Senior! Thank you, thank you for saving me!"

"Don't move."

Gu Chen held him down.

"You are badly injured. I just treated your wounds and the poison has been neutralized, but you have too many other wounds. You need real treatment."

The apprentice smiled wryly:

"I know... but I'm out of medicine. I had one, but it was smashed when those beasts were chasing me..."

"How did you end up here all by yourself?"

Gu Chen asked,

"The Bone-Eating Forest is deep within the Misty Valley, and it would be very dangerous for even a team of high-level first-ring wizards to enter."

The apprentice's eyes dimmed:

"I came with two companions... We heard that there might be 'Star Tear Grass' on the edge of the Fog Sea to the northeast. It's a very valuable ingredient for making high-grade awakening potions."

"As a result... we encountered a horde of Mist-Eating Pythons, and... they couldn't escape..."

His voice choked with emotion.

Gu Chen remained silent for a moment...

What a pitiful child.

So he asked again:

"What's your name? Which professor did you study under?"

"My name is Aiden, and I'm an apprentice at the alchemy workshop. My mentor is the apothecary Harold."

Apprentice Aiden replied,

"And you? I don't think I've seen you before..."

"You don't need to know."

Gu Chen didn't reveal any more information. He didn't want the other party to know his affairs; the more he said, the more he would reveal.

Aiden seemed to understand something and nodded sharply!

"You saved me first... I understand everything! I've never seen you before!"

"I... just want to say thank you. It was I who attracted the Mist-Eating Python, and you were also in danger."

"It's nothing, I just have some questions for you."

Upon hearing Gu Chen's words, Aiden paused suddenly, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke:

"Are you... going deeper into the area?"

Gu Chen glanced at him:

"Why do you ask that?"

"Because...because that direction is dangerous." Aiden's voice was low, filled with fear.

"When my companions and I were fleeing for our lives, we saw something... Deeper into the Bone-Eating Forest, about two kilometers northeast, there was... a camp."

Gu Chen's eyes suddenly sharpened: "The camp?"

"Yes." Aiden nodded, his face growing even paler.

"It's not a temporary camp for our academy's apprentices. It looks like it was set up a long time ago. There are tents and a magical protective barrier... Moreover, there are several figures in the camp, wearing black robes, moving very stiffly, and looking very strange."

Gu Chen's heart skipped a beat:

"Do you see anyone in the camp? Living people?"

"I'm not sure..." Aiden tried to recall.

"We were being chased so fast by the Mist-Eating Python that we only caught a glimpse of it from afar. But I think I saw a person in a deep purple robe walk out of the largest tent, holding a crystal ball that was glowing green... Then we ran for our lives, and you know what happened next."

A deep purple robe... a green crystal ball...

There's a very high probability that it's related to Jobeck or the Antinoya family...

"Do you remember the exact location of that camp?" Gu Chen continued to press.

Aiden pointed northeast:

"After passing through this bone-eroding forest, you will see a dry riverbed. Walk upstream along the riverbed for about 500 meters, and you will find a black stone forest. The campsite is located in the middle of the stone forest."

"but……"

"But what?"

Gu Chen asked,

Aiden swallowed hard. "But that stone forest is eerie. We felt dizzy just looking at it from a distance, and it seemed like... something was moving inside, but we couldn't make out what it was."

"Understood."

Gu Chen nodded. "This information is very important. Thank you."