"You really are with him!" Daniel's face flushed with anger as he saw their group of six, and his expression softened slightly upon noticing their coordinated outfits. "Uncle Wales is gentlemanly and cultured, Aunt Elizabeth is graceful and poised, and the Wales family has a noble lineage and a rigorous code of conduct. This is a fine tradition.
Qianxue, as an heir, you should understand the importance of upholding the traditions of an ancient family and refrain from doing anything that tarnishes our honor and status..."
Qianxue snorted. "Even my brother doesn't dare to lecture me, so you should save your breath!"
"This is just a kindly reminder. Good advice is never pleasant to hear," Daniel retorted.
Qianxue sneered, "So following you is how we maintain the family tradition, is it?"
Daniel responded with pride, "At least we represent the future rulers of the Thousand-Year Empire, a noble class that cannot be compared to the so-called sons of merchants."
Qianxue scoffed, "What a ridiculous comparison! The bloodline and status you take pride in are, in the eyes of certain people, nothing more than that of a lowly servant. What right do you have to mock others?!"
Daniel stubbornly replied, "At least we have the qualifications to be servants..."
Qianxue cut him off, "Enough with the nonsense! I don't know what your sudden ambush is all about, but tonight, you won't lay a finger on Charlie unless you kill me first!"
Daniel exclaimed, "Qianxue! Why do you always defend outsiders?"
"Ha! You're not any kind of insider! He's my good friend!"
"Qianxue..." Daniel called her name, but he seemed at a loss as to how to deal with her.
If things continued to develop in this manner, Qianxue might indeed be able to single-handedly block this ambush, but Charlie didn't want to let this group off so easily. Qianxue could protect him for a moment, but not forever.
Tonight's ambush was undoubtedly a premeditated action. Charlie didn't know why Daniel harbored such intense hatred—perhaps it was due to jealousy over how Qianxue defended him. The more Qianxue stood up for him, the stronger Daniel's hatred grew. It was a deadlock, and Charlie didn't want to remain a target of resentment throughout this entire task season.
Right now was a great opportunity to resolve this enmity. The opposing side was at a disadvantage, having already lost half of their forces and with their defensive gear worn down.
Charlie stepped forward and gently patted Qianxue on the shoulder. "Qianxue, let me handle this."
"But... there are so many of them!" Qianxue said anxiously.
Charlie smiled calmly. "It's alright, just a bunch of rabble."
"Okay! Just be careful!" Qianxue obediently stepped aside.
Seeing her obedient demeanor made Daniel feel as if he had swallowed a fly. Having been repeatedly outmatched by Qianxue, he was burning with an anger he had nowhere to vent, and facing the person involved, he could no longer suppress the fury raging inside him.
As Daniel was about to speak, Charlie interrupted him, still holding onto a question in his mind: "It seems your target is me. How did you find me?"
Daniel revealed a disdainful smile as he replied, "For some lowly scum, it only takes a few coins to buy their soul. That guy... what was his name again?"
Someone behind Daniel chimed in, "His name is Jerry, he's in our group."
As soon as that was said, a shadow from the back of the group twitched nervously, trying to sneak away but was grabbed by someone beside him and pulled in front of Daniel.
Jerry, blushing and somewhat fearful of Charlie's gaze, turned to question Daniel, "You're ruining our trade rules! Who would want to help you again in the future?!"
"Ha! Don't overestimate yourself. You never had the qualifications to trade with me. You're just a backstabber!" Daniel sneered, casting a disdainful glance at him before turning back to Charlie. "Mentor Anthony indeed has good judgment; he always picks people of such low caliber—all of them are garbage without morals or faith!"
Charlie smiled calmly. "So it was you, Jerry! Since you've stepped out, I can't let you off this time. Even if it will upset the mentor, I can't care about that anymore. You've crossed my line; it's best to pray you don't run into me in the next few days!"
Upon hearing this, Jerry took a few steps back, wanting to slip away. Right now, Charlie didn't have the time to deal with him, and Daniel had already achieved his purpose of irritating Charlie. Thus, he still retained a sliver of hope for escape.
"You should worry about yourself first!" Daniel stepped forward to face Charlie. "Good thing you took the initiative to step out; otherwise, you, the waste cast out by your family, would forever wear the label of relying on a woman to get ahead! Isn't your mother the same? Relying on her looks to escape from a decaying, broken family and leeching onto a dim-witted noble duke, allowing you, this little b*st*rd, to jump up two social classes!"
Although Charlie had no clear memories or emotional connections regarding his mother, he still maintained respect and filial piety towards the woman who had given him life.
Qianxue said sternly, "Daniel, your malice and pettiness are truly disgusting!"
Daniel shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm just speaking the truth."
"You're asking for death!" Charlie exhaled slowly, his dark, sharp gaze piercing through the tension, "You wanted to regain the face you lost on the ship? Now I'm giving you a chance; if you want your dignity back, come take it yourself!"
"You lowly mud-born, I've waited a long time for this!" Daniel's face twisted as he violently waved his hand, and the apprentices behind him parted to create an area for the duel.
On the other side, the other members saw Charlie's serious demeanor and also retreated to the sides, clearing an area.
The duel on the magic ship had always been a defeat Daniel was unwilling to accept. That battle, he was defeated by Charlie's relentless arcane missiles, and it was the first time he had lost face in front of Qianxue. He considered it a cowardly ambush.
Thus, he had always longed for a chance to regain his dignity, especially after learning about Charlie's results on the talent tests, this desire had become all the more intense. Now the opportunity had finally arrived, and it was in front of Qianxue.
Daniel's features contorted as he pointed directly at Charlie's nose, speaking slowly: "Let me show you the level of a high-level apprentice! Don't think you're something special just because you learned some meditation!"
Charlie smiled serenely. "I'll give you the chance to call it to start, so you won't have another excuse to claim you were ambushed when you lose."
Daniel's face shifted between pale and flushed; he didn't arrogantly refuse, but he couldn't contain the raging fire in his chest any longer as he shouted, "Let's start!"
This time, Daniel didn't put on any unnecessary show; upon issuing the command, he immediately began the incantation for Fireball. In their choice of magic, the two seemed to share the same understanding.
In fact, Fireball was a legendary spell, and there was a saying across the Vagrand Continent: "A mage who can't cast Fireballs isn't a good mage!" It was considered a truth both within and outside the industry, showcasing its uniqueness.
The Fireball spell fell between second and third-level magic, with a high demand for 19 magical units ensuring its power, a casting time of 1.8 seconds, an effective range of 30 meters, and a damage radius of 3 meters. These statistics proved it was the most powerful of all beginner spells, and it contained only 17 syllables, making it one of the shortest spells among third-level magics.
Due to these characteristics, Fireball had been thoroughly studied over the past thousand years, and current data had reached an extreme point, with no chances for even the slightest enhancement.
So when Daniel saw that Charlie was making the same choice, his first reaction was one of excitement, because with the same spell, the comparison often came down to equipment.
Daniel had inquired about Charlie's equipment; the gnarled wooden staff was within his calculations. He wouldn't give Charlie the chance to unleash "Mana Storm"!
However, the next moment left Daniel dumbfounded.
An intense question lodged in his chest: Why? Why was it so fast?
Charlie's Fireball had already been released while he still had five syllables left to pronounce. Most third-level spells were directional; once cast, they were like spilled water—impossible to control. The characteristic of guaranteed hits would only appear in fifth-level spells.
Charlie's Fireball took only 1.3 seconds! A full half-second faster than his!
Half a second was enough for Charlie to do many things, such as dodging the point of impact of Daniel's Fireball and preparing for a new round of attack.
The outcome can sometimes be revealed in the very first round of combat. Even with a piece of equipment that could decide victory or defeat, Daniel finally understood what that prince had said: "You probably won't be his match after a year!"
Back then, Daniel had scoffed, thinking the prince was just trying to flatter him, looking for an excuse for his
failure in the Starry Meditation competition. Now, it seemed that it was indeed true; Charlie had an exceptional talent for magic.
However, knowing the truth felt utterly powerless, watching helplessly as the "Blizzard Magic Shield" gradually faded under Charlie's attack, while Daniel couldn't even touch the hem of Charlie's robe.
During this time, Daniel attempted to use faster first-level spells or area-of-effect spells, but despairingly, Charlie seemed to predict his every move, always managing to dodge his attacks.
As the Blizzard Magic Shield shattered, Daniel was thrown to the ground by an arcane missile, and the group of classmates he brought with him were too intimidated by Charlie's overwhelming aura to assist him.
Charlie walked up to him and waved his hand to disperse the chaotic arcane energy. He crouched down, patted Daniel's face, and said, "Newbie, you prepared so thoroughly this time, yet it looks like you still lost! Do you admit defeat?"
Daniel's face contorted, turning a deep shade of red, and he shouted up at Charlie, "You'd better kill me! Otherwise, I will definitely make you…"
Charlie reached out to Daniel's throat, and Daniel's eyes widened in shock. His grandiose words only made it halfway out, and he gulped, frozen in place. His body's instinct was honest; internally, he was far from the bravado he was trying to project.
Charlie glanced at him contemptuously, then ripped off his cloak, saying, "This cloak is now mine. Next time, if you come to challenge me in better gear, I might consider your request! Newbie!"
"Charlie, you're amazing!" Qianxue smiled brightly, undoubtedly delivering yet another fatal blow to Daniel.
Clap! Clap! Clap! A few crisp applause echoed from the other side of the reeds.
"Looks like you do have some skill; no wonder you could snatch the equipment from the Fishman Lord right from under me!" A stranger emerged from the reeds.
It was Peter?!
As the thought flashed through Charlie's mind, a series of loud banging noises erupted, and an unprecedented sense of crisis enveloped him. The chip in his mind emitted a powerful warning!