24 Shot In The Face

Kevin wanted to die after hearing the malicious bawl coming from Cromwell. He wanted to slap that fool across the face and ask him whether he knew whom he was swearing at. That person was the most privileged one in the Guild of Magic, and even Gerian had to welcome him with a smiling face. But now, he was being pointed at and asked to get out. Kevin felt himself turning crazy…

It's the end… it's the end… Kevin's heart was thumping as he watched Lin Li, who was still smiling.

Amidst Cromwell's outcry, the guild hall seemed to have fallen into silence in an instant. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to Cromwell.

Their expressions were full of sympathy and compassion at first. Then, they turned to one of watching an idiot with a congenital disability.

Gerian said nothing for the past few days, but in their hearts, they had already associated Lin Li with the 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion.

It was just too obvious. Gerian had just granted him the best privileges in the Guild of Magic, and in the twinkling of an eye news of 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion came out. Even the blind could see the link between them.

If there was anyone in the Guild of Magic that could never be messed with now, it would undoubtedly be the young mage wearing a worn mage robe standing in front of them.

Even Cromwell's father, Old Merlin, who was said to be on par with Gerian in terms of magic attainments, would have no other way out except to die if he messed with the young mage—let alone someone like Cromwell.

Someone who could bring out 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion at once would not mind having another 30 bottles out. Under this fatal temptation, who knew how many assassins would be out there, waiting for Cromwell? Yet he was still clamoring endlessly, not knowing how the word "death" was spelled.

Among all those present, perhaps it was only Cromwell who did not understand.

Ever since returning from the Sunset Mountains, Cromwell had not felt this joyful before. The resentment that had been amassed for a long time exploded today, and the fury he had held in his chest finally found an outlet to vent it. Every word was vicious to the core and full of sarcasm, from the worn mage robe Lin Li was wearing to his inability to afford even a magic staff, his unawareness of his own status yet participating in such an important conversation…

Satisfying! Cromwell had never felt this satisfied in a long time!

But satisfaction was intriguing. It was like that very thing, coming when the satisfaction was to the fullest…

Cromwell was as such.

He was satisfied, but just as his satisfaction reached the fullest, he saw Lin Li lifting his right hand.

There were no other gestures, and no complex spells.

There was only an intense magical wave and a muffled thud.

Immediately, Cromwell felt as if he had been hit in the face with a hammer. In that moment, Cromwell even felt like his whole face was shattered; it was an incomparable force, bursting on his face all at once.

The force was extremely powerful. Cromwell hardly had the time to let out a cry before being knocked off. He flew a whole dozen meters like a kite with broken strings; at last, he landed heavily on the steps of the door, with all eyes on him.

Cromwell felt nothing except coldness and dampness. His head was heavy and spinning, as if someone had just clamped the door on him. His nose seemed to be broken as well, a gush of warmth flowing out from his nostrils. It mingled with the water stains on his face, with him not knowing if it was blood or water…

He clearly saw what struck him was a waterspout.

It would indeed come for those who were satisfied to the fullest. But Cromwell was unlucky; it came for him, but it came on his face…

The hall hushed all of a sudden. The dozens of mages present, including Kevin, had been studying magic for at least 20 years. They could easily see that the magic Lin Li used was a level-two Waterfall Strike.

A level-two Waterfall Strike wasn't intimidating at all; what was intimidating was the way Lin Li had used it.

There was no redundant gesture nor sound of chanting at all.

It was merely a lift of the hand, and the Waterfall Strike was unleashed. This was a genuine instantaneous burst of power!

Even a mage apprentice knew that it was not the mental strength or the mana that limited a mage's ability to fight—it was the time taken to prepare. Complex hand gestures and lengthy spells kept the mage in a battle walking a tightrope. Most of the mages in the world were studying the same question—how to unleash magic in the quickest way.

As for the interpretation of "quick", it would no doubt be the instantaneous outburst.

But it was just too difficult…

Absolute control of the mental strength, accurate allocation of the mana, and the complete breakdown of the elemental structures…

It had gone beyond the scope of knowledge and technology, and belonged entirely to another level.

Perhaps some mages above the level ten could unleash two level-one and one level-two spell in an instant with their decades of accumulated experience, but for many mages, instantaneous outburst was nothing but a distant dream.

But everyone had witnessed how a level-two spell was unleashed instantly today.

Furthermore, the one who had used this level-two spell was a young mage not over the age of 20.

All these had exceeded their imagination…

"Demon, demon…" A grey-bearded mage in the crowd looked on with a glazed expression.

His words were a complete representation of the crowd's thoughts. Other than a demon, no one could come up with another word to describe the young mage.

For a moment, the hall was alarmingly quiet. Except for the sounds of rapid breathing, only Lin Li's light footsteps could be heard coming from the steps.

Lin Li kept the smile on his face. He even greeted Cromwell politely as he approached. "Long time no see, Mage Cromwell."

"Long… long time no see…" Cromwell backed down subconsciously. Due to his wounded nose, there was a faint twang in the broken voice.

Lin Li had killed a Wyvern right before his eyes back when they were in the Sunset Mountains.

But Cromwell had always thought that this low-life mage was never his rival.

It was only luck that he'd managed to kill the Wyvern with that shot of icicle piercing right into the Wyvern's wound. If not for that, he'd long be torn to pieces by the Wyvern.