Chapter 380 - 369: There’s Trouble
Chapter 380: Chapter 369: There’s Trouble
Ryan stared intently at the shadows outside the storage room door.
Beneath the door, wisps of bone-chillingly cold Magic Power radiation seeped in, making Aisha’s teeth chatter softly.
"Don’t make a sound," Ryan whispered to the two people behind him.
He stood up and waved his hand, dispelling the Defense Array. The light died, and the storage room returned to darkness.
Ryan took a deep breath and threw the door open.
Outside, two gray-robed Black Wizard Apprentices stood with sinister smirks, pale phosphorescent flames flickering in their hands, ready to enjoy a feast of slaughter.
But when their Spiritual Power swept over Ryan and they realized he was an official First-level Wizard, the smirks on their faces instantly froze.
’A First-level Wizard, cowardly enough to hide in a place like this?’
"Boss! We’ve got a Level One over here!" one of them shouted without hesitation, crushing a communication talisman.
Ryan didn’t make a move.
He knew full well that killing these two small fry now would only immediately draw the attention of those three gods of death. The only thing he could do was stall, or... negotiate.
Less than three seconds later, a suffocating stench of blood and a tyrannical wave of Magic Power swept up the stairs.
A tall, burly figure appeared at the top of the stairs. With every step he took, the wooden staircase groaned as if on the verge of collapse.
The newcomer was the Bloodline Wizard among the three Second-level Black Wizards, the one who had fused with the bloodline of an Ancient Giant.
The Bloodline Wizard walked into the office of the New Western branch, his gaze sweeping over the brand-new sign on the wall—"New Western Education Group, Rimefrost Branch."
He glanced with amusement at the course schedule listed to the side and a few Teaching Golems in standby mode.
He casually picked up a finely printed book from the desk, "Basics of Alchemy: From Novice to Giving Up... Scratch That, to Master." He flipped through a couple of pages, then chuckled.
"This White Wizard stuff is really something else."
He tossed the book back onto the desk with a THUD. "Selling knowledge like a commodity, and making it so flashy."
He turned to Ryan, his eyes filled with the taunting look of a cat toying with a mouse. "Is this your business?"
Ryan forced himself to stand up straight, though his legs were already starting to feel weak.
He knew this was his only chance.
"This is the property of the New Western Education Group."
His voice trembled slightly, but he tried to enunciate every word clearly. "Our founder is Lord Allen Wesren, a Second-level Alchemy Wizard and an official investigator for the Gate of Truth’s Plane Exploration and Development Association. I suggest you—"
"A Second-level Wizard?"
The Bloodline Wizard cut him off as if he’d just heard the funniest joke in the world. He turned to look at his two subordinates, his mouth splitting into a grin that revealed a mouthful of shark-like teeth.
There was not a shred of warmth in his smile.
"Kid, do you know what the biggest difference is between White Wizards and Black Wizards?"
Ryan froze, not daring to answer. He had already begun to secretly circulate the Magic Power within his body. It seemed his words had not only failed to intimidate the man but had instead struck a sensitive nerve.
"It’s not good and evil, it’s efficiency." The Bloodline Wizard took a step forward, and the immense pressure made it almost impossible for Ryan to breathe.
"You people spend twenty years researching some useless topic. I spend twenty minutes digging out your brains and taking the results directly. That Lord of a Second-level Wizard you’re talking about? In my eyes, he’s just as much of a waste as you are."
He raised his right hand, and a ball of blood-red light ignited in his palm.
"The greatest tragedy of White Wizards is thinking that knowledge can replace power. I alone can take on three White Wizards of the same level. Do you believe me?"
Before his words had even faded, the blood-red beam of light erupted.
Ryan, who had been on guard all along, instantly activated his Magic Shield while simultaneously crushing a High-tier Protective Talisman hidden in his palm.
A pale blue barrier of light and a translucent Force Field stacked in layers in front of Ryan.
But in the face of that bloody light, it was all meaningless.
PFFT!
Like a red-hot steel needle, the blood-red beam pierced through all his defenses and accurately ran through Ryan’s chest.
Ryan’s body convulsed as he looked down at his chest.
A large, blackened hole had appeared there. The edges of his lungs and heart had been completely vaporized.
He opened his mouth, trying to take a breath, but only a hissing, airy sound came out.
Ryan fell backward, stiff as a board.
As his vision blurred, he saw the lesson plans scattered on the floor. Griffin had stayed up all night organizing them, and he hadn’t even had a chance to look at them yet.
His final thought was not of fear, but of deep regret.
’The letter to my sister on the desk... it’s still not finished.’
’Ella, your big brother might not be able to bring you to see the aurora anymore.’
The light faded completely from Ryan’s eyes.
Watching Ryan collapse in a pool of blood, Aisha’s mind completely shattered, and she let out a bloodcurdling scream.
A Black Wizard Apprentice stepped forward and brought a heavy hand-chop down on the back of her neck. The screaming stopped abruptly, and Aisha crumpled to the floor.
Griffin did not scream.
The moment Ryan’s chest was pierced, he bit down hard on the tip of his tongue. The strong taste of blood filled his mouth, the metallic tang and sharp pain keeping him anchored to his last shred of consciousness.
’Run? I’ll die. Fight? I’ll die too.’
His knees gave way, and he fell to the ground with a THUD, burying his head low.
"My lord..." Griffin’s voice trembled. "I... I am willing to submit."
The Bloodline Wizard looked down on him and snorted coldly. "You know when to bend the knee."
He pointed to the Teaching Golems in the corner. "Go, move all these Golems to my residence. From now on, you will manage this place for me."
"Yes, my lord." Griffin’s forehead was pressed firmly against the cold floor.
The Bloodline Wizard turned and left. The two apprentices stepped forward, skillfully pulling the Storage Ring from Ryan’s finger and looting everything else of value from his body. Finally, they hauled Aisha to her feet.
One of them took out a jet-black Crystal Bottle and uncorked it.
A grayish-white mist floated out from Ryan’s corpse and was sucked into the bottle. It was Ryan’s soul, which had not yet completely dissipated.
The sound of footsteps faded down the stairs.
Griffin remained kneeling on the floor for a long time.
Only after confirming there wasn’t the slightest fluctuation of a Black Wizard’s Magic Power left in the entire building did he slowly get to his feet.
His legs were as stiff as two logs, and his fingers trembled violently.
He walked over to Ryan’s body and slowly knelt down. Ryan’s eyes were still open.
Griffin reached out a trembling hand, gently placed it over Ryan’s face, and closed his eyes.
He looked around. The Black Wizards had plundered everything of value from the office—Magic Stones, Magic Staffs, and Alchemy materials.
But Ryan’s personal communication terminal had been tossed into a corner. A communication terminal wasn’t worth many Magic Stones.
What they didn’t know was that this terminal was enabled for cross-planar communication.
Griffin crouched in a corner of the basement storage, his fingers still shaking. It took him a full minute to break the seal on the terminal.
He activated the communication terminal.
The few seconds he waited for the connection to establish felt longer than a century.
Click.
"Ryan?" Vera’s competent voice came from the other end. "Calling me at this hour? Did something happen on the Rimefrost Plane?"
Griffin took a deep breath and reported in the briefest possible terms, "The Rimefrost academy... has fallen. It’s been taken by three Second-level Black Wizards."
The other end of the line went dead silent for a moment.
"Mr. Ryan is dead. Aisha has been captured." Griffin’s voice finally cracked with a suppressed sob. "Come quickly."
"Protect yourself. Wait for us." Vera, guessing how dangerous Griffin’s situation was, decisively cut the connection.
「Hub City, New Western Headquarters.」
Vera sat at her large desk. The light screen in front of her displayed a letter of intent for a partnership with their twelfth academy. Outside the window were the brilliant lights of Hub City.
She sat in silence for ten seconds.
Colin was reviewing some bills when he sensed the change in atmosphere and looked up. "What’s wrong?"
Vera didn’t answer. She picked up another communication terminal on the desk and entered Allen’s private frequency.
Colin saw that the knuckles of the hand Vera used to hold the crystal terminal had turned white, the veins on the back of her hand bulging.
The call connected.
"Allen."
Vera’s voice was still calm, but beneath that calm was a volcano on the verge of erupting. "There’s a problem."