LIGHTNOVELONLINE
Chapter 32: Is This What You Call Not Attending Classes?
The Sunforged Tree, renowned for its remarkable capriciousness, was wielded by Owen as a teaching cane.
With a whooshing sound, it struck the head of the leading man.
Instantly, a welt swelled up on the man's head, resembling a mountainous ridge.
The sight was amusing to onlookers.
Yet, for the man who received Owen's strike, it was excruciating:
"Ah!"
How strong was Owen?
Crushing stones was a trivial task for him, and even well-forged iron was no more than stiff cardboard in his presence.
Had Owen not been mindful of the academy's rules, his blow could have easily caused catastrophic damage.
Although he held back, the man was not capable of withstanding it.
His cries ceased abruptly as he toppled backward, completely caught off guard.
His companions were still in shock.
After a two-second stare down with Owen, the right-hand man of the leader reacted:
"Boss!"
A man who seemed like the second-in-command, with bloodshot eyes, shouted:
"Take the boss to the magic healer Georgina."
Seeing Owen, Erin's face lit up with a brilliant smile.
She walked up to him, grabbed his hand, and said:
"Master, what a coincidence?"
Owen stroked Erin's hair:
"I told you to learn some combat magic for self-defense, why didn't you listen?"
"Master," Erin, swaying Owen's hand, replied,
"If I use the time I would spend learning combat magic to study magic arrays and develop arcanergy potions, I can help you more quickly."
Owen's mouth parted slightly, his eyes filled with affection.
"Erin, such a wonderful female dragon!"
"Alright, seeing how dedicated you are, I'll take you to the magic shop. You can buy whatever you like."
"Yay!"
As they spoke, the two of them, hand in hand, were about to leave.
"Hey, you're just going to walk away like this?"
The team's second-in-command barked from behind them.
Owen turned around, looking at his fierce face with a light chuckle:
"What, do you want me to pay for medical expenses?"
"Hmph," he pulled out a wand, pointing it at Owen, "Third-year student Rex challenges you. You're not scared, are you?"
The commotion had already attracted a lot of attention, and many gathered around to watch the drama unfold.
"Rex? Isn't that the third-in-command of the Crimson Society? How did he end up confronting Owen?"
"What? What's the Crimson Society?"
"Are you a freshman? Not knowing the Crimson Society, one of the three major clubs at the school?"
"Normally, you can only enter its core circle in the sixth year, but he made it in his third year. The Crimson Society actively recruited him as their third-in-command."
"That impressive?"
"Of course. He's known as the King of the Third Year, unbeatable by anyone in his grade. No one..."
"That poor kid over there is in trouble then."
"Right? Looks like a freshman. It's normal to attract envy with such an attractive girlfriend."
Owen's eyes narrowed slightly, a casual smile curling at the corner of his mouth:
"First year, Owen. I look forward to your guidance."
Hearing his name, the surrounding crowd stirred once again.
"Owen, that's Owen?"
"Ah? Is he famous?"
"Senior, you might not know, but he's quite notorious in our freshman year. He hasn't attended any classes after the first one during the three months of basic teaching."
"So, he's a truant with no academic achievements. What makes him think he can face a challenge?"
"Hey, senior, that's where you're wrong. Although he hasn't attended classes for three months, the professors never punish him and allow him to skip classes. Just think about the power he must have behind him."
"Wow... that impressive. Could he be some prince or high noble?"
"Maybe."
Owen's straightforward response made Rex's pupils constrict slightly.
In the academy, higher-year students challenging lower-year students was permissible, but the latter had the right to refuse.
Yet, he didn't. Instead, he was calm and composed.
What gave this person such confidence?
"Very well," Rex's eyes flashed with hostility, "then let this senior teach you the rules of the academy!"
Others, seeing the inevitable confrontation, shook their heads helplessly:
"Owen is too arrogant. The academy is not his home. Although Rex won't be lethal, making Owen suffer for a few days by breaking his legs is definitely within his capability."
No one believed Owen could win.
Owen didn't even consider Rex a threat. With his physical strength, Rex didn't even qualify to speak to him.
The two stood opposite each other, creating an atmosphere of an impending storm.
Their auras intertwined, forming a powerful field.
The air around them seemed compressed, almost suffocating.
Owen launched the first attack, waving his wand and muttering an incantation.
Instantly, a bolt of black lightning descended from the sky, heading straight for Rex.
Intermediate Magic: Lightning Flash!
The speed of the lightning was incredibly fast, almost impossible to track.
However, Rex was prepared.
He swiftly raised his wand, and a red barrier materialized in front of him, blocking the black lightning.
Intermediate Magic: Blood Barrier.
Owen's eyes flickered slightly.
His mind power was formidable, and his knowledge of novice and intermediate magic was extensive.
He quickly recognized the Blood Barrier.
Elementless magic was rare in the academy, and he was surprised to encounter it.
Despite the battle lasting only a round, the spectators' expressions had already changed.
"That's impossible, how can Owen, a first-year student, use intermediate magic? Are you joking?"
"Yeah, didn't someone say he never attends classes? Did he self-study all these spells?"
"Senior, it's true Owen never attends classes. How he learned these spells, I have no idea."
"Could it be... a prodigy?"
"Self-learning intermediate magic isn't just prodigious, it's downright monstrous! Perhaps only the advanced race of the Thunder Tribes possess such talent."
Rex's counterattack came like a bolt of lightning. He shouted:
"What comes around, goes around."
He swirled his wand in the air, tracing a beautiful arc.
Then, a blood-red orb, reeking of putridity, rose from the ground, enveloping Owen.
Advanced Magic: Blood Stasis.
The stench of blood made the battle circle eerie and malevolent.
The intense smell of blood was unbearable for Owen.
He felt waves of foul odor invading his nostrils.
Trying to mobilize the arcanergy in his body to cast spells became somewhat staggered.
Even his spirit was contaminated; visions of fiery infernos, mountains of corpses, and rivers of blood flashed incessantly in his mind.
Anyone with slightly weaker mind power might have their soul shattered.
"By the gods, Rex is terrifying. Mastering advanced magic in his third year... His talent rivals that of those from advanced races."
"How impressive is that?"
"Of course, Rex possesses god-tier strength. Using intermediate magic was already his limit, but now he can effortlessly cast advanced magic. We can only look up to him; he's a future overlord."
"Owen can't withstand this."
"That's a given..."
Before they could finish, the battle scene shifted again.
Owen waved his wand, summoning a powerful whirlwind from his body, shattering the surrounding blood orb.
Intermediate Magic: Whirlwind!
Rex's eyes widened:
"Aren't you a thunder magus? How can you also use wind magic?"
Blood Stasis, after all, was formed from blood, easily dispersed by the wind, let alone a fierce whirlwind.
As the Blood Stasis was broken, the whirlwind swept towards Rex.
"There's a lot you don't know about me!" Owen casually responded.
Rex spat out a droplet of blood, turning it into a blood-red chain, attempting to bind the tornado.
Advanced Magic: Blood Chain.
Owen shook his head slightly, coolly reminding him:
"Wind is something you cannot trap."
With a slight smile, he waved his wand, accelerating the tornado to its utmost speed.
In an instant, the tornado tore apart Rex's blood chains and engulfed him.
Owen directed the tornado closer to himself.
Closer and closer it came, and the more terrified and helpless Rex's eyes grew, as if he had seen the grim reaper himself.
His hands flailed powerlessly in the air, trying to grasp at a sliver of hope, but the relentless wind shattered his hope mercilessly.
"You can't kill me, we're in the academy!"
This plea for mercy snapped the stunned onlookers back to reality.
"Would Owen dare to kill?"