Chapter 34: Trap

Now that he had decided on the mission he was undertaking, he needed to register quickly.After all, each mission noted how many apprentices had currently applied and how many total spots were available for that mission. These numbers were listed in parentheses. Once a mission filled all its spots, it would disappear from the list. If he arrived too late, his preferred mission might slip away right before his eyes.

After making the announcement, Mage Eclivel disappeared without saying another word. Naturally, all the clerical work was left to the Apprentice Leader, Brandon.

As expected, Brandon immediately took the garrison mission for the Swamp Tower, which was also the only Green mission on the list. His 'Followers' also joined that mission. Although the mission still had room for a few more apprentices, Brandon had already claimed the dominant position, wearing a look that said whoever paid the highest price could get a spot in the mission.

Feeling indignant but not daring to speak, some weak Novice Apprentices gathered around Brandon, lowered their voices, and tried to bargain with him. Some beauties even gave him appreciative glances, clinging tightly to Brandon's arms. However, most of the Novice Apprentices actually gathered around the three strongest apprentices, talking amongst themselves as if they were discussing something. Sёarᴄh the ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Obviously, they couldn't decide what to do.

Bleia grabbed Leon and approached the crowd surrounding Brandon. Raising their eyebrows, those softly speaking companions immediately moved aside, revealing Brandon, who sat comfortably in the middle.

Although Brandon maintained a distant look in front of these apprentices, when confronted by the three strongest and Bleia, he didn't dare to act tough.

The three strongest were Advanced Apprentices, recognized by all apprentices. If a confrontation arose, Brandon, who was barely an Intermediate Apprentice even with the help of magical items, would never stand a chance against them.

As for Bleia, Brandon was truly afraid of her.

Even after becoming the Apprentice Leader, whenever he recalled his previous encounter with Bleia, with her fierce, terrifying face and blood-splattered body, Brandon couldn't stop the shiver that ran down his spine.

Moreover, after being taken by Mage Eclivel, Bleia was released safely. It was clear that she was being groomed by Mage Eclivel at the Tower. Without sufficient excuses and reasons, Brandon would never want to cross Bleia.

Looking at Bleia, who now approached him, Brandon tried his best to maintain a calm appearance, but his pale face and wandering eyes betrayed what he truly felt. Faced with this terrifying vampire, he felt an intense fear in his heart!

"I'm applying for the Underground Cave investigation mission. Register me now!" Bleia never took him seriously and acted with a domineering attitude.

Without a word, Brandon took the Apprentice Leader's magic talisman, infused it with his Spiritual Energy, and a small screen immediately lit up above it. The content displayed on the screen was the Underground Cave investigation mission that Bleia chose.

Bleia took her magic talisman and pointed it at the screen. Immediately, the number of apprentices registered for the mission changed from (4/10) to (5/10). It seemed that four apprentices had registered for this mission before her.

Now it was Leon's turn to register.

"I would like to accept the Klage's Alchemist Apprentice Mission!" Leon spoke in a calm voice.

Brandon glanced briefly at him, then silently adjusted the screen's content. With the screen's shift, the mission chosen by Leon appeared.

Leon said nothing. Without hesitation, he took his magic talisman and pointed it at the screen. But something unexpected happened. Just as his magic talisman was about to touch the screen, the mission on the display suddenly flickered in an odd way and reverted to the previous mission Bleia had chosen.

Caught off guard, Leon's magic talisman touched the screen.

The next second, the number of participants for the Underground Cave investigation mission changed from (5/10) to (6/10).

This unprecedented occurrence surprised everyone present, and even Brandon seemed puzzled by it. With an ironic smile, he said, "Aiyaya… What's going on? It looks like the magic equipment malfunctioned! What should we do now… Uh… Would you like to see the Master Mage? Maybe he can cancel this mission for you?"

While everyone was still in shock, Bleia erupted. "Brandon. I will kill you!"

Without warning, Bleia's sharp nails began to shine as they slashed through the air toward Brandon's heart with a discordant noise.

"Buzz~~"

It was a short distance, and given the huge gap in their Agility, Brandon might not have even realized he was being attacked until Bleia was crushing his heart in her hand.

But when Bleia's deadly claws were halfway to Brandon's body, a huge, dark hand that gleamed like chain mail suddenly stretched out from the side, both hands colliding instantly.

"POW~~"

It seemed like the two hands had collided only once, but for some unknown reason, in an instant, the massive hand, resembling a monster's claw, shattered. In fact, it was sliced into pieces by Bleia's sharp nails.

Although it seemed like Bleia was at an advantage in that exchange, there were no pieces of flesh or blood from the shredded hand; the small fragments turned into countless black scorpions, quickly clinging to Bleia's arm.

Bleia stepped back and swiftly moved her arms, quickly killing all the scorpions that were trying to attack her. At this moment, Worm Controller, whose body was completely covered by a cloak, was seen next to Brandon.

The huge hand belonged to him.

Buzzing as they flew, the swarm of scorpions soon returned to Blake's sleeve like bees to their hive. In the next few seconds, peace returned to the area. A bizarre scene unfolded before them, showcasing Worm Controller's terrifying abilities.

Leon's pale face gave one last glance at the screen, turned around, grabbed Bleia, who acted like an overprotective mother cat, and left quietly. Strangely, the aggressive Bleia did not act recklessly this time. That was because, with her keen senses, she noticed that the other two Advanced Mages had silently risen and were stealthily approaching the scene.

No fool could become a Mage Apprentice, and those Advanced Apprentices were as cunning as foxes. Except for a few oddballs, most Advanced Apprentices knew how to restrain themselves to ensure their survival.

Bleia, a girl who suddenly rose to Advanced Apprentice, clearly posed a serious threat to the position of the top three. Thus, intentionally or not, the three grouped together in an attempt to elbow Bleia out.

...

Before parting at Leon's door, Bleia seemed like she intended to say some words of comfort but stopped when she saw his sad smile.

Back in his room, Leon closed the wooden door softly and remained silent in the dark for a long time.

He was clear about what happened today, and it wasn't entirely Bleia's fault. If he really thought about it, Leon was sure it must have been Worm Controller who ordered his mission to be switched to Bleia's. Whether it was because of the intruder incident yesterday or the top three trying to intimidate Bleia, in short, Brandon's little trick was likely authorized by Worm Controller.

Conflict between the powerful brought disaster to the powerless!

A situation like this was, indeed, the sad reality of the powerless.

Leon had no intention of seeking the truth about today's misfortune, as he decided to work hard for his future.

The red Underground Cave Investigation mission was a dangerous one. If he were a Pseudo-Mage, it would be a challenging mission. If he had the skills of an Advanced Apprentice, it could be fatal. But he was only a Novice Apprentice!

Mixing with a group of Advanced Apprentices while being so weak... Although Bleia would definitely look out for him, he would still need some usable skills. Yes, perhaps Bleia appreciated his kindness during her hard times, but that wasn't enough for her to risk her life to save him.

Considering everything he was about to face, what Leon really needed was a skill to protect himself.

In the dark, Leon took out the newly created Clay Golem from his waist pouch. The thumb-sized core glowed faintly with the light of Earth Elementium. The four energy nodes carved into it could continuously absorb Earth Elementium from the world around it, converting it into usable energy and storing it for future use.

Out of the four energy nodes, two were lit, indicating it was 2/4 charged with Earth Elementium, which should be enough to conduct some tests.

Leon tilted his head to listen for any movement outside his room. Then he gently opened the door and snuck out.

At that moment, most of the Apprentices were still gathered in the lecture hall, dealing with the frustration of the mandatory mission. Therefore, Leon did not encounter any Apprentices as he stepped out.

...

Fifteen minutes later, Leon was once again walking along the familiar rocky path outside the tower.

The fierce battle among the Advanced Apprentices yesterday had clearly killed many of the demons in this swampy land. Along the way, when he saw the scattered demons, an unusual sense of pity actually arose in Leon's mind.

Although these demons usually looked truly terrifying and evil, once confronted by Mage Apprentices stronger than them, they immediately became trembling cattle, unable to resist the oppressive forces of the Mages.

Perhaps, in the eyes of these demons, these Mage Apprentices were the real monsters, even crueler than them!

Quickly traveling along the rocky paths, Leon soon arrived at the testing ground he had chosen – the Muddy Swamp.

Sinbad was dead, having been transformed into the Clay Golem in his hand. Now, the Phantom Nannies had no leader, meaning it was the perfect time for him to train here.

Standing firmly at the edge of the Muddy Swamp, five steps from the filthy, stinking lake, he could faintly sense the weak soul waves of three Phantom Nannies hidden beneath the muddy water.

Leon casually threw the Clay Golem's summoning core to the edge of the lake. When the light yellow core touched the mud, a faint vibration reverberated from it.

"Tremor~~"

Guided by Leon's Spiritual Energy, no activation spell was necessary, and a large amount of earthy yellow smoke began to form around the core. Driven by strange forces, the clay on the ground started to twist, quickly shaping into a form that was roughly human.

Leon closed his eyes and sensed the Clay Golem, quickly locating the core he had created in the chest of the clay being.

He opened his eyes and gave it an examining look.

He was placing his trust in this Clay Golem to change his destiny!

...

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