Although Lucien had almost spent all his Magic Stones, the most valuable thing he possessed was the research results and knowledge he had accumulated over the years.
Perhaps this knowledge and accumulation meant little to a Formal Wizard or even to those veteran Third-Level Wizard Apprentices, but for someone like Apollo, a Second-Level Wizard Apprentice, it was very attractive.
"Sorry, but I already have a mentor," Carly said, slowly backing away, though she had already half-drawn her bow, and her spirit was highly tense.
"You should know that the rule prohibiting mutual killing within the academy mainly targets those of the same rank," Apollo said, looking at Carly with indifferent eyes. "For Third-Level Wizard Apprentices and Second-Level Wizard Apprentices, even killing a newcomer is merely a minor trouble. The contract between you and your mentor is not a one-sided commitment."
The threat in Apollo's words was clear, making Carly hesitate no longer. In the instant she turned to run, she had fully drawn her bow, enchanting two arrows with ready-to-release witchcraft. The moment Apollo pursued, Carly turned back and shot the arrow.
"Hmm?" Apollo acutely sensed the magic essence fluctuations in the arrows Carly shot. He waved his wizard robe, instantly transforming it into a shield in front of him.
Boom, boom—two explosions sounded simultaneously.
[Your student Carly has mastered Multiple Blazing Arrows, please select the direction of knowledge upgrade!]
At the same time Carly shot the arrow, Lucien, who was preparing for meditation, received a system popup message.
"Hmm?" Lucien was surprised. This message indicated that Carly had just completed a combat. But they were inside the academy!
"Damn it!" Lucien's expression suddenly turned ugly; he thought those guys would directly confront him, but it seemed they had first targeted Carly, who was more vulnerable.
Lucien quickly ran out of his laboratory.
Once outside, unrestricted by the soundproofing witchcraft of the room, Lucien could hear the explosions and see the flashes of exploding firelight not far away.
"What kind of witchcraft is this? If you hand it over, I'm also willing to directly take you as a student," Apollo said, his eyes shining with excitement. He had roughly estimated that the special witchcraft Carly deployed had a strength almost reaching 70P, especially the continuous shooting technique that greatly impressed him.
Carly gritted her teeth, wanting to shoot another arrow, but when she reached into her quiver, she felt nothing but emptiness.
Noticing this, Apollo's face revealed a smile. He reached out his hand, wanting to directly seize Carly and then forcibly extract the knowledge he desired from her.
Bang—
Just then, a "Fireball" flew out from behind Carly.
Zero-level Witchcraft [Fireball]
Unlike Blazing Technique, which is one of the simplest forms of witchcraft, Fireball is a relatively difficult one among zero-level witchcraft. It can reach a power level of 150P and is commonly used by Third-level Wizard Apprentices because of its quick constructibility.
Apollo's pupils slightly constricted.
He performed a backflip, no longer caring about Carly, and swung his wizard robe to use the defensive witch tool to shield himself from the Fireball.
Boom—
Unlike the relative ease with which he blocked Carly's continuous arrows, the wizard robe struggled to defend against the Fireball this time.
The Fireball exploded, leaving the surface of the wizard robe slightly smoking and even slightly damaged.
"Fighting is forbidden inside the academy!" At this moment, the patrol team of Greybone Academy arrived and directed a reproachful gaze towards Apollo and the others.
Apollo shrugged his shoulders and stopped what he was doing, but his gaze remained fixed on Carly behind him.
"Mentor Lucien!" Carly was somewhat surprised, her eyes growing slightly watery at that moment, but then, thinking she might have caused trouble for Mentor Lucien again, Carly forcibly held back her emotions and lowered her head.
"You are healed," Apollo said with a stare, his eyes showing a hint of apprehension towards Lucien.
"Just lucky," Lucien said, also looking at Apollo, his expression as cold as if he were looking at a dead man.
"Are you all right?" Lucien turned to look at Carly by his side.
"Yes." Carly nodded gently, then feeling that her response might have been ambiguous, quickly shook her head, "Mentor Lucien, I'm fine."
"Everybody stop! What's going on?" The leader of the patrol team was a Third-level Wizard Apprentice, who, after scanning the surroundings, directed his gaze towards Lucien and Apollo.
"My fault," Apollo said, raising his hand, "I was a bit impulsive just now. I am willing to compensate for the damage caused to the academy."
"Oh." The team leader nodded slightly, taking out a feather pen to make a record.
"Wait a moment," Lucien spoke up, pointed at Apollo, and then at Carly behind him, "Apollo's actions just now threatened the student with whom I have a contract and caused an extremely adverse effect on me personally. According to the academy's rules, this constitutes a serious provocation among Wizard Apprentices. I should have the right to request a duel to the death with Apollo, am I right?"
The team leader looked at Lucien, his brow furrowing then relaxing. "That is your right."
On the other side, upon hearing about the duel to the death, Apollo's expression turned quite ugly.
The reason he had yielded a moment ago was largely that Lucien appeared to have recovered from his injuries, making him unsure of Lucien's capability.
But this did not mean that he was afraid of Lucien, especially since his strength was now almost equivalent to a Third-level Wizard Apprentice. Armed with a powerful Witch Tool he had obtained on a deadly adventure, combined with Magic Potions and Witch Tools, he was not afraid to fight any Third-level Wizard Apprentice, and many couldn't match his strength in a direct fight.
Even against Lucien at his peak, although he was not confident of winning, he believed he had a fifty to sixty percent chance of getting out intact, and the worst outcome could be just mutual destruction. What more of Lucien who now seemed nearly bankrupt?
But Lucien had requested a duel to the death.
How could he?
How dare he!
Apollo's eyes narrowed.
"Apprentice Apollo Cabu, Apprentice Lucien Kevin has challenged you to a duel to the death. You may choose to refuse, but if you do, you must let the opponent select one item from your carry-on Witch Tools, Magic Potions, or materials as compensation," the team leader said, looking at Apollo, inquiring.
Apollo's expression turned extremely grim.
Compensation?
Most of his fortune was tied up in a powerful attack Witch Tool he'd found in a wizard's relic. With this tool, he had the confidence to compete with Third-level Wizard Apprentices.
If he chose to compensate, then he would lose this precious Witch Tool! How could he possibly accept that?
"I accept the challenge!" Apollo said, his expression cold as he looked at Lucien. Initially, he was reluctant to pay a steep price to deal with Lucien but now, he had changed his mind.