Elite Mages' Academy

Chapter 457: Strange Speed

Xiao Lin actually knew about Wang Dalin’s strength. Although he has been to the New World on business trips several times, it did not mean that he was oblivious to the situations in class. A monitor had access to check on the changes of attributes of every member in their class. It had to be admitted that Wang Dalin’s strength was among the best in the class.

However, Wang Dalin’s strength was limited, and Xiao Lin did not think that he would lose to Wang Dalin. He casually took the most common short wand from the weapon rack and walked to the center of the battlefield. He chose to not attack first, considering it a final act of humility as a monitor.

Wang Dalin’s weapon was a knife, but what surprised Xiao Lin was that he actually went for dual knives. He remembered that the guy had always used a single knife. The sword was considered to be the weapon of choice for melee professionals, and Xiao Lin had not taken a knife course. However, swords and knives were similar in many ways, and dual knives are obviously more focused on dexterity and speed. Wang Dalin had always single-wielded, and Xiao Lin did not know when he changed courses.

It did not matter. Xiao Lin casually cast a water shield on himself. He very rarely cast elementary defensive spells, but since Wang Dalin chose double knives, he thought it was better to be safe.

The water shield spell was completed almost instantly, but Wang Dalin’s was even faster. Almost immediately after he lowered his wand, Wang Dalin’s figure had disappeared from his sight.

Xiao Lin, who was inattentive at first, snapped alert in an instant. In terms of actual combat experience, he was actually much better than all other freshmen. After all, he had faced various powerful enemies in the New World, and his several near-death experiences also improved his abilities significantly.

Usually, there were not any official signals to start sparring like this. Ordinarily, people would extend a greeting and notify that preparations were complete before starting. However, this time, Wang Dalin’s speed shocked many of the onlookers. Several other monitors who were uninterested also came to spectate.

‘Ping!’

The blade of Wang Dalin’s knife swept across the surface of the water shield from top to bottom, but because Xiao Lin had preemptively stepped backward, creating space between them. Although the water shield was broken by this guy in an instant, Xiao Lin himself was unharmed.

“Flame Bullet!”

Xiao Lin sent a barrage of ten Flame Bullets without hesitation. At such a close range, coupled with his current perception level, it was easy to land his shots on the target. The result was out of his expectations. Wang Dalin did not evade and actually took all the Flame Bullets head-on.

Although basic armor was provided in the training hall, Wang Dalin chose the leather armor with the lowest defense. This kind of armor made of ordinary animal skin was very light, allowing the wearer better mobility. However, while there was an increase in speed, it also greatly reduced all aspects of defense and resistance.

Xiao Lin adjusted slightly to avoid hitting vital parts. Although the power of Flame Bullets was not lethal, a series of hits blasted several holes through the leather armor provided by the training hall. The exposed skin was already split and bloody. Fresh blood started flowing, causing several onlookers to gasp. This was real combat, and it was certainly no joke.

Yu Mei, who was watching from the side, started to frown unconsciously, seemingly a little solemn and confused. However, it was not toward Xiao Lin, but Wang Dalin. She suddenly interrupted and said, “Everyone has the right to give up.”

Before Yu Mei’s words could register, Wang Dalin grimaced with pain and suddenly let out a roar like a beast. He held his knife in a backhand grip and attacked once again. Just as Yu Mei had taught earlier, in melee combat versus a spellcaster, it was important to finish the spellcaster in one go. Never give the opponent any chance to even breathe.

“So fast!”

Xiao Lin’s pupils constricted rapidly. Wang Dalin was indeed very fast. Such explosive speeds at such a short distance was beyond the limits of his eyes to track. Xiao Lin could reach these speeds, but he must first be in the Miracle state. No, perhaps he even needed to be in the Ruin state to be able to surpass such speed.

This had to be a joke. When did Wang Dalin achieve this level of agility?

Although Xiao Lin did not have the time to check on his classmate’s attribute levels in the last two days, he saw them at the end of the first half-semester. He remembered it very clearly; this guy’s agility attribute was just around 20 points or so. Currently, by the looks of it, his agility should be at the very least 100 points!

A lot of thoughts were going through Xiao Lin’s head, but his hand movements were not slow either. With a backhand, he raised his wand to block, as he noticed Wang Dalin’s dual knives were coming at penetrating speeds, directly toward his throat. This was actual combat and people were allowed to attack liberally, as healing systems were prepared for the injured. Even so, targeting vital parts and going for lethal blows raised a lot of discussion among all those in the venue.

Wang Dalin growled low once more, and Xiao Lin noticed that his eyes were gradually turning red, looking like a crazed demon. Wang Dalin, who was unsuccessful on his second blow, did not give up. He moved quickly again, and in a flash, he was by Xiao Lin’s side. In less than a second, he feinted a blow with his knife.

Xiao Lin was slightly angry. The requirement for this battle was melee versus magic. He was not allowed to use melee weapons. As a pure spellcaster, it was indeed very troublesome to be stuck in close range with an opponent with such strange speed.

However, he was not a pushover. Even if he did not turn on the Miracle state, he would evade by relying on the advanced judgment brought by his high Perception, coupled with good agility, strength, and physical attributes. Wang Dalin’s several attacks, which could certainly be described as determined, did not have much of a real effect.

It was not easy to force Wang Dalin back. The number of spells that Xiao Lin had mastered thus far was limited. It was a stalemate, and it was a matter of waiting to see who could not endure it and had to stop. Xiao Lin judged that Wang Dalin’s speed could not be normal. It was probably the result of a certain skill buff.

Xiao Lin was not willing to wait. That was not the result he wanted for this battle. Originally, Saturday’s actual combat course was the best time for him to experiment with compressed elements. With that thought, he instantly stopped hesitating, and immediately went into the Miracle state.

As he used Miracle, Yu Mei raised her brows slightly. With a backhand, Yu Mei tossed a scroll, and a transparent glass-like hook appeared around them, covering Xiao Lin and Wang Dalin within it.

In terms of difficulty, there was a world of difference between compressing and fusing a single element versus compressing and fusing countless elements. The number of elements in each spell was different, and the Flame Bullet that Xiao Lin wanted to use was the lowest level and also a low-power spell. Hence, the required number of elements was also low.