Chapter 56: Slaughter

On the fifteenth day of the exam, ten slave monsters from different worlds were released into the exam grounds.

These monsters were all at the advanced apprentice level, posing insurmountable challenges for most apprentices. In the grounds, they slaughtered every wizard apprentice they encountered, driven not only by the promise of freedom from the wizards but also by the deep-seated blood feud between their species.

"Richard, have you locked onto him?"

Richard furrowed his brow, keeping track of the four-armed monster through Wuni's vision. The creature was on the move, hunting down and devouring hidden wizard apprentices.

"Head north for one kilometer; the monster is being held up."

Richard gave the command and swiftly moved with Ellie, using levitation to fly at high speed just above the ground.

Meanwhile, a kilometer away, Griffiths and Kevin were struggling to fend off Koguk's attacks.

"Kevin, heal me."

Griffiths, wielding a greatsword, shone with a holy light like a paladin, while Kevin, exuding a deathly aura, had several zombies at his side.

"Got it."

Sweat dripped from Kevin's pale face as he absorbed magic from stones, casting spells to support Griffiths.

In the distant past, necromancy apprentices were known as the Life and Death School. Wizards in this school studied both life energy and death energy.

Due to the Wizard Wars, wizards focusing on death energy became predominant, and the school of life and death became known as necromancy.

However, necromancy still included life-saving magic as part of its studies, and knowledge of life and death energy conversion could be exchanged at the academy library.

With Kevin's life magic, Griffiths barely held his ground against Koguk's onslaught.

"Battle! Glory!"

Koguk roared, his fervor sending shivers down Griffiths' spine.

Griffiths, a practitioner of the soul school, could sense Koguk's death wish through his emotions.

Their clashing weapons rang out, and Griffiths' wounds grew in number.

Kevin's life magic was struggling to keep up with the rate of Griffiths' injuries.

His death seemed inevitable.

Boom!

A fire crow flew in from a distance, striking Koguk's back and sending him flying.

Griffiths seized the opportunity to flee, showing no intention of continuing the fight.

No kidding, these two approaching wizard apprentices bore the ominous mark of formidable individuals. Staying would only result in becoming collateral damage.

Richard gestured to Kevin, who understood and quickly retreated with Griffiths.

Kevin was too weak, reducing him to a target in this battle.

Koguk got up, his injuries healing visibly.

"Strong ones! Are strong ones like you also sinners?"

Koguk shouted at Richard, the tall, black-scaled apprentice reminding him of that war.

In that war, wizard monsters like Richard tore through totem warriors, including the chief of the Bloodfang Tribe.

"What's the name of this monster?"

Richard frowned, pulling out a magic gun from his pouch.

He stood seven paces from the monster, and beyond seven paces, the gun was fast; within seven paces, it was fast and accurate!

Clang!

Koguk instinctively blocked with his blade, deflecting the magic bullet aside.

"Primal intuition."

Richard deduced. As a bloodline alchemy wizard, he knew a bit about physical prowess.

Jolord once noted in his writings that indigenous creatures evolving through physical strength often developed keen intuition. Jolord hadn't fully explored the nature of this intuition, but he found it commonly appeared in battle-hardened indigenous warriors, not in pampered noble ones.

Thus, Jolord hypothesized, albeit loosely, that this intuition was a form of conditioned reflex, suggesting that wizards could develop such intuition through similar training.

Koguk's hairs stood on end, his fur bristling like a porcupine.

"Ambushes are unworthy of warriors!"

Before he could finish, Ellie's elemental spell struck again.

Boom!

Koguk cleaved through the fire crow, the roaring elements engulfing him.

But as the flames dissipated, Richard saw Koguk wearing a blood armor, shielding him from harm.

Koguk roared and charged at Ellie, menacing like a hellish demon.

Yet, blocking his path, a black figure stood firm.

"Your opponent is me," Richard said calmly.

In any team, a damage-soaking tank is indispensable. Unless you can quickly eliminate foes, a strong tank is essential.

According to Richard and Ellie's plan, Richard's role in monster hunts was to be the tank.

Their weapons clashed repeatedly, metal ringing with every strike. Behind Richard, Ellie calmly drew magic from stones, readying her next spell.

Koguk's machete wielded immense power, but Richard's strength matched it. Though the monster had a physical advantage, Richard's tactics far outmatched these alien creatures.

Suddenly, Richard's muscles bulged, his greatsword firmly blocking Koguk's blade. This technique, known as release, tapped into the hidden strength of human muscles, capable of unleashing several times one's usual power.

Take, for instance, a mother lifting a car in crisis. Normally, her muscles couldn't accomplish this, but in extreme situations, she displayed astonishing strength.

Release was the art of harnessing such power.

Koguk was shocked by the apprentice's sudden strength. Despite sensing a weaker physique, his strike was firmly parried.

"Warrior's inheritance! This apprentice possesses a warrior's legacy," Koguk concluded with his experience from the Great Bone Plains.

Tribal warriors, upon initiation, received guidance from veteran warriors, each holding secret techniques—the warrior's inheritance.

Koguk assumed most wizard monsters studied nature spirits as shamans, not expecting one to follow the warrior's path.

Richard didn't understand the monster's exclamations. He gripped his sword, eyes locked on the four-armed creature. Despite blocking Koguk's blade, the monster's lower arms had struck his abdomen, fracturing his organs.

If not for his bloodline's regenerative abilities, surpassing ordinary apprentices, Richard would have perished.

"Warrior, I shall respond with a warrior's courtesy."

Koguk nodded at Richard, unleashing a blood mist, a fierce aura erupting from within.

Secret Technique: Fury

Richard readied himself, watching as Koguk charged, blade aimed at his head.

Blocking with his sword, Richard felt his arms tremble from the impact.

Another strike followed, and another—clang! Clang! Clang...

Richard felt like he was back at the entrance exam, relentlessly beaten. If not for his bloodline's recovery, he'd have lost his battle capacity, sliced by Koguk.

"Richard!"

Ellie shouted, launching a fearsome fireball at Koguk.

After long preparation, Ellie's spell finally released.

Instead of dodging, Richard entwined himself with Koguk, determined to hold him.

"Are you mad?" Koguk shouted, but saw Richard's confident smile, understanding everything.

It was a tactic.

Koguk grinned, entangled with Richard.

Tactics were part of battle; the ancestors never scorned wise warriors.

Boom!

The spell's thunderous roar caught many apprentices' attention, leaving them speculating.

As the smoke cleared, Koguk's body lay half-destroyed, an arm missing, the battlefield reeking of charred flesh.

"Ancestors, does this count as a battle of honor?"

Koguk muttered, facing Richard.

Across from him, Richard, protected by a magic barrier, watched warily.

Unlike Koguk, who endured the spell physically, Richard's Guardian Pendant had spawned a magic shield when the spell hit. After that shattered, his magic barrier deployed.

Ellie's modified magic barrier could ignore elemental damage below twenty energy levels. With ample magic, it could withstand 200 energy levels of elemental damage.

Of course, reaching that threshold would drain Richard dry, feasible only when he became a wizard.

Koguk struggled to fight, severe wounds restricting his movement.

He forced himself upright, gazing calmly at Richard.

Never had Richard seen such tranquility in one's final moments.

"This was an honorable battle. You gain glory, and I receive the Ancestors' blessing, to t

he land of plenty."

Richard beheaded him, but Koguk's serene gaze lingered in his mind.

Thus ended the tale of Koguk, warrior of the Bloodfang Tribe on the Great Bone Plains.

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