"Who do you think will win?"
"Come on, man, use your brain. One guy versus 327 people—who could possibly win?"
"I admit, Lucien is strong. He's even my idol. But he's just a person, not a god!"
"Not to mention… rumor has it that Lucien awakened as a Summoner. You know what that means—weak as hell early game."
"Ah… then what's the point of this fight?"
"There is no point. It's just those seniors venting their frustrations. I'm in second year, and I've seen Lucien's duels before. Those seniors got absolutely wrecked!"
"Still… are you saying Lucien doesn't stand a chance?"
"Not likely. Unless Terra itself collapses and we all ascend to the afterlife together, I don't see how—"
"Why did you stop talking?"
"Shhh… don't speak. I think I just saw a god!"
The noisy chatter from the stands abruptly ceased the moment the fight began.
In an instant, Lucien summoned ten magic arrays,
and from them emerged twenty Goblins.
These weren't the usual trash-tier Goblins you could punt with a single kick.
These were hulking, muscular green-skinned Goblins wielding spiked clubs.
And they weren't alone.
Among them were blue-skinned and red-skinned Goblins,
exuding elemental auras that made it clear they could cast spells.
"Are… are those supposed to be Goblins?"
On the opposing side, someone paled as they asked.
These Goblins were nothing like the ones from textbooks or previous encounters.
The difference was akin to comparing a preschooler who couldn't even form proper sentences
to a tattoo-covered gang leader with a shaved head and menacing scars.
Some began sweating profusely, others gasped audibly,
and a few were completely frozen in place, unsure of what to do.
What they thought was a simple stomping match,
a "fish pond" game,
had turned into a nightmare where the "fish" evolved into a monstrous leviathan.
"Everyone, stay calm! We're over 300 strong! No matter how many summons he has, he can't possibly outnumber us!"
"We just need to hold steady, use our numerical advantage, and victory will be ours!"
Logan raised his arm, shouting to rally his side.
But Lucien's Summon Goblin skill activated so quickly
that the opposing team could hardly process it.
Every second, magic arrays formed in rapid succession.
Before one Goblin could even fully emerge, another array would appear right beside it.
Half a minute later, Lucien wiped the sweat from his brow,
stretched his shoulders, and looked at the 400 Goblins now surrounding him.
He muttered to himself, "That should be enough."
Previously, despite his Mana Refund talent allowing him to recover mana and reduce cooldowns,
the time it took for Goblins to crawl out of the magic arrays limited how many he could summon quickly.
But now, thanks to a skill he acquired from the Max-Level Mystery Skill Scroll
after contracting Annie, things had changed:
[Quick Cast (Lv99)]: Increases spellcasting speed by 1000%, allows overlapping spell constructions, and negates all casting interruptions.
This effectively turned Lucien into a machine-gun mage.
"Alright, this will do. Let's start the… slaughter."
Lucien lifted his head,
a cruel smile spreading across his face.
Logan, who had been rallying his team moments earlier,
was now slack-jawed in disbelief.
He hadn't expected Lucien to summon more Goblins than they had people!
The sight of the green, blue, and red Goblin army made his heart race with fear.
But summoning his courage, Logan shouted:
"Don't panic! These are still just Goblins!"
"No matter how different they look, they're still Goblins!
"We're professionals! Our stats will crush them! If we coordinate properly, we'll—"
Before he could finish, one of his lackeys clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Stop talking and use Inspect! Look at their stats!"
Logan shoved the lackey aside, annoyed at being interrupted while boosting morale.
Still fuming, he cast Inspect on one of the Goblins.
[Level]: 6
[Grade]: Normal
[Strength]: 123
[Constitution]: 98
[Agility]: 72
[Spirit]: 46
Logan's breathing hitched.
Frantically, he inspected another Goblin, hoping the first was an anomaly.
He was half-right.
The first Goblin he inspected was, in fact, the weakest of the bunch!
Lucien had no intention of wasting time.
Advancing as a professional required rare materials,
and professional academies were excellent resource hubs.
With his One-Coin Glitch, Lucien was determined to dominate in the academy.
But for that, he needed to quickly level up in this one month.
He couldn't let these students slow him down.
With a wave of his hand,
the Goblin army surged forward, their spiked clubs swinging as they charged the opposing team.
"Ahhh! I surrender! Let me surrender!"
"Who turned off the surrender option?! And the damage virtualization?!"
"Mommy! Stop hitting me! Ow, it hurts!"
"Damn it, I'll fight you! Just don't hit my face—ahhh!"
The battle unfolded exactly as the audience had expected:
A one-sided massacre.
The only twist was that the sides had reversed.
Lucien, standing alone, held the advantage.
Logan's team of 300+ students?
They were the ones being beaten senseless.
For the second-year students watching from the stands,
this wasn't an unfamiliar sight.
They had seen Lucien dominate one-on-one matches before.
The difference now was that he wasn't just beating a single opponent.
He was pummeling an entire crowd,
leaving them crying for mercy.
"Wait, something's changed! Look over there!"
The spectators noticed several figures sneaking around the Goblin army,
heading straight for Lucien, who appeared defenseless.
It was Logan's team of assassins.
Everyone knew casters were weak against assassins,
especially a Summoner with no early-game defensive skills.
When a high-tier assassin proposed targeting Lucien directly,
Logan had eagerly approved.
Using their bodies as shields,
the remaining students created a diversion so the assassins could activate their stealth skills.
With the Goblins fully engaged,
the assassins crept closer to Lucien,
who seemed completely unaware.
Logan couldn't help but laugh.
His lackey, still disoriented from the earlier chaos,
mistook his laughter for madness.
"Boss, why are you laughing?!"
Logan grinned and replied,
"I'm laughing at Lucien's stupidity!
"A Summoner, leaving himself defenseless?
"When my assassins strike, let's see how he fights back!"
His voice carried through the arena's microphones,
reaching the audience and even Lucien himself.
At that moment, the lead assassin emerged from stealth,
raising his dagger with a sinister grin.
"Sorry, Lucien. Time to settle old scores!"
He plunged the dagger down—
but it hit nothing but air.
The assassin froze,
only to be struck by a powerful force moments later.
Bam!
His body flew like a ragdoll,
crashing to the ground and rolling several times before stopping.
His health bar plummeted to 10%, and he was carried off the field.
The arena fell into a stunned silence.
Logan and his team's smiles froze in place.
Lucien flexed his hand, his expression indifferent.
He glanced at the remaining assassins,
who were still standing dumbfounded nearby, and smirked.
"I didn't want to get my hands dirty,
but since you came to me, don't blame me for what happens next."
"It's hunting season now."
As his words fell, Lucien's figure disappeared.
For the assassins, their worst nightmare had begun.