From Wizard Apprentice to Conqueror of Myriad Worlds

This Giant Helmet Fish was nearly three meters long, its strength likely equivalent to a First Level Apprentice.

Velen had also guessed the Giant Helmet Fish’s origin: as the downpour continued, the river’s water level had surged, allowing this Giant Helmet Fish to swim upstream and into this deep pit.

This was the reason ’the kid entered the Sanctuary unharmed but was attacked on his way out’—when he went in, the water level was still low, and the fish hadn’t swum in yet.

Velen’s brass-colored mouth opened, a loud laugh on the verge of erupting.

The taunt was already on the tip of his tongue: "Miss Nasha, if you don’t step in to save him, that kid is going to be torn to shreds by the Giant Helmet Fish."

But in the next moment,

an invisible hand seemed to stifle the laugh in his throat.

He watched, stunned, as the kid’s body swerved unnaturally. His level trajectory suddenly shifted upward, and in the blink of an eye, he shot up five meters like a leaf caught in the wind.

The menacing torrent of water, of course, hit nothing but air.

The ferocious Giant Helmet Fish also snapped its jaws on empty air.

The breath caught in Velen’s throat. His copper-bell eyes widened, his pupils filled with utter disbelief.

’How could this be?’

’How could that kid have discovered the Giant Helmet Fish hiding underwater?’

’And if he did discover it, why did he pretend he hadn’t, calmly casting a Trick to leap to the other side?’

「A few moments later.」

The Third Level Apprentice’s questions were answered.

He watched as the kid stretched out his body in midair and viciously swung his right arm downward.

A black dot flew from his hand and burst open in midair, transforming into a net woven from countless fine metal threads. It expertly ensnared the Giant Helmet Fish.

Every metal thread cinched tight around the Giant Helmet Fish, binding it securely from head to tail, from dorsal fin to pelvic fin.

This move was critical, instantly turning the Giant Helmet Fish—a creature with the strength of a First Level Apprentice—into a fish in a barrel.

The Giant Helmet Fish tried to open its mouth and spit a jet of water at its enemy, but the metal threads held its jaws clamped shut. The building pressure in its throat resulted in a muffled gurgle, and a stream of bubbles escaped from the corners of its mouth.

Velen understood instantly. This wasn’t the Giant Helmet Fish ambushing Mo Ning. This was Mo Ning hunting the Giant Helmet Fish.

That kid had known from the start that something was in the water. He’d planned every single step.

"Hahaha!"

A burst of unrestrained, delighted laughter erupted from Nasha’s alluring, glossy red lips.

On the Light Curtain,

the battle was still raging.

The Noble Lady appeared swiftly in the doorway. Her skin instantly flushed blood-red as she swung her right fist, striking the Giant Helmet Fish from a distance.

In its attempt to hunt, the Giant Helmet Fish had leaped from the water. Its massive body hung suspended in midair for a moment, making it a perfect living target.

"THUD!"

With a muffled thud, a visible dent caved in the top of the Giant Helmet Fish’s head, and dark red blood seeped from the fractures.

Its eyeballs bulged noticeably, as if being squeezed from inside its skull.

It was clearly a fatal blow.

Reina’s figure emerged from the doorway right after.

She waved her hands lightly, and two emerald-green vines shot out from her sleeves.

The vines shot across the ten-meter distance. One deftly wrapped around the Giant Helmet Fish’s tail, while the other plunged precisely into its gaping mouth.

For once, Velen was stunned speechless.

The coordination of this three-person team was nothing short of perfect.

Mo Ning had leaped from the cave opening as bait, luring the Giant Helmet Fish out of the water before throwing the Capture Net to bind it.

Anya seized the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow, and Reina finished off the prey.

From the lure to the kill, every step was seamlessly connected. The whole sequence was so fluid it was actually a pleasure to watch.

Even with his critical eye, Velen had to admit—this was truly an excellent team.

"Velen, the stupid things you’ve said today will keep me laughing in the Witchcraft Laboratory for a whole year."

Nasha’s mocking laughter once again drifted into the Apprentice’s ears.

Velen’s face turned green.

’Just listen to her—"keep me laughing in the Witchcraft Laboratory for a whole year." She was clearly planning to spread the story to everyone.’

’By then, I’ll be the laughingstock of the Third Level Apprentice circle. People will point at me in the hallways and whisper about me in the dining hall.’

’If I don’t want to be badmouthed all day, the best thing to do is leave the academy for a while and come back after it all blows over.’

’Evil Horned Whip Demon!’

Velen couldn’t help but recall another saying that circulated among the Third Level Apprentices: "The words from the Sharp-Horned Whip Demon’s red lips are sometimes more painful than her Magic Whip."

Now, the Apprentice understood that all too well.

He suddenly regretted his impulsive decision to get into a war of words with Miss Whip Demon.

Swallowing his humiliation, Velen practically shot up from his chair, his movements betraying an urgent need to leave:

"It was just a boring squabble between fledglings! Nothing interesting at all!"

Every second he stayed was torture, and he was certainly no masochist.

Velen tossed out a, "I’m going back to write my thesis," as his right hand flew to his waist. With the fastest motion he’d ever managed, his fingertips plucked the Instant Shadow Powder from a compartment on his Casting Belt.

"WHOOSH—!"

A pale flame erupted around him.

In his vision, the colors of the Observation Room began to fade rapidly. The detestable figure of the Sharp-eared Whip Demon twisted and distorted.

Just as he was about to be pulled from the space, a few words pierced through the distorted air and drilled straight into his eardrums:

"I’m sure Miss Mansha would be very interested to hear about what happened here, especially Mr. Velen’s ’profound insights’!"

The flames dissipated quickly.

Velen appeared on the cold stone floor of his Witchcraft Laboratory.

He gritted his teeth, squeezing two words out from between them in a low voice: "Damn it!"

He had barely left, and that detestable woman was already eagerly spreading his embarrassing story.

Velen stood rooted to the spot, seriously considering whether he should apply to the academy for an off-campus mission.