Chapter 60 : Chapter 60

Chapter 60. Repelled

Several blue spheres of light appeared in Xiyns’s hand and shot straight toward Fran.

After days of frustration, Xiyns’s mood was extremely foul. He was like a barrel of explosives waiting to ignite.

In truth, he had just calmed down moments ago and knew that starting a conflict here would be a terrible idea. With so many people around, the two of them would certainly suffer the consequences.

But Tane’s single remark had ignited the powder keg.

He simply could not tolerate being advised to back down by someone he considered nothing more than a lucky fool. To him, it felt like mockery.

Fran raised an eyebrow and activated the breathing technique trait Spiritual Power. Her physical attributes surged, and with a swift sidestep she avoided the incoming Magic Missile.

The bright blue projectile brushed past her body and shot out through the doorway.

“That’s not right. That Magic Missile can turn.”

Fran immediately realized that the projectile had passed far too close to her body. The edge of her black robe had been grazed, leaving a faint scorched mark.

She knew this was an advanced technique used with Magic Missile—automatic homing.

Clearly, the opponent had spent a great deal of effort practicing this spell.

If translated into the proficiency levels on her system panel, it would already be close to mastery.

She knew the projectile would soon return from behind, so she seized the moment and lunged forward, closing the distance between herself and the two apprentices.

When Xiyns saw Fran dodge the Magic Missile, he felt a flicker of satisfaction.

This was his usual combat method.

He would launch a Magic Missile first, deliberately adjusting its speed so that it would not easily hit the target during its initial approach.

After the opponent dodged it, those with experience would assume the missile would soon loop around and attack from behind.

But what they did not know was that he could control its speed.

When it returned, it would move far faster than they expected.

The ring on his right hand was engraved with an instant-cast Wounding Strike. By consuming triple the usual mana cost, he could cast it once per day.

If his opponent raised a shield to defend, the returning Magic Missile would often pierce through the shield, leaving them exposed to his Wounding Strike.

At the apprentice level, a single spell landing successfully was enough to render an opponent incapable of fighting.

With this small combination, he had won many battles.

Even opponents who knew his strategy still found it difficult to defend against it.

After all, the instant-cast spell ring on his hand had cost more than a dozen gold coins. If apprentices could easily react to it, that purchase would have been meaningless.

Watching Fran charge toward him, Xiyns lifted his right hand, preparing to cast the spell.

You dare look down on an apprentice of the Alteration School?

Once I drag you back, I will let you experience the interrogation methods of the Alteration School. Then you will understand why disobeying our orders is a mistake.

Dark thoughts filled his mind.

Afterward, he even planned to place a brain-eating worm inside her skull before letting her go. She would experience the horror of losing the ability to cast spells, and months later she would die in unbearable agony.

But before Xiyns could raise his right hand, he suddenly felt his wrist seized by tremendous force.

It felt as if the bones in his wrist were about to be crushed.

“What—”

Before Xiyns could react, Tane suddenly felt something slam into his face like a heavy hammer.

He heard the sound of bones cracking.

The overwhelming force lifted him off the ground. His body flew backward through the air and crashed onto a table, knocking over several cups of alcohol before tumbling onto the floor.

“Wait… why did you hit me?!”

Tane murmured in confusion.

Half his face had already gone numb. Warm liquid flowed from the corner of his eye, his vision blurred, and a piercing ringing filled his ears.

Xiyns only felt a gust of wind pass in front of him, followed by the sound of something crashing beside him.

Then another force grabbed his robe and lifted him into the air.

“What is going on?!”

When he looked down and saw the black-robed figure holding him up, a sharp pain suddenly exploded across his back.

“Ah! Damn it!”

Xiyns screamed.

The returning Magic Missile blasted through his robe, leaving a burned hole. Beneath it, his skin had turned dark purple and black from the scorching heat, with blood seeping from the wound.

He forced open his eyes despite the agony and stared at the black-robed figure—only the eyes visible—with disbelief.

Why would she dare attack apprentices of the Alteration School?

Did she not fear retaliation?

Fran flicked her hand.

Xiyns felt a powerful force throw him into the air. Gravity took over, and his body slammed heavily onto the floor.

The pain left him powerless.

He lay there gasping, his body trembling uncontrollably.

When Xiyns launched his sneak attack, the entire bar had fallen silent.

Only after Fran defeated both apprentices did the silence break.

Then the tavern erupted with thunderous cheers and applause. Some people even hurled their cups at the two apprentices lying on the floor.

Fran picked up a nearby napkin and wiped her hands.

She had used no spells and no weapons.

Her powerful physical strength alone had defeated both of them.

There were several reasons for this.

First, she wanted to conceal her identity. She was no longer an unknown figure. If she used recognizable weapons or spells, someone might identify her.

That would make her disguise meaningless, and people might guess her true identity.

Second, she could not kill the two apprentices.

Defeating them was acceptable. Apprentices fighting among themselves was quite common.

But killing them in front of so many witnesses would be equivalent to openly humiliating the Alteration School.

Even Richter’s secret death had triggered a large investigation.

If she killed two apprentices in public, the consequences would be unimaginable.

So she held back, knocking them down without doing anything further.

Fran suddenly sensed something and looked toward the staircase.

Elan was leaning against the railing, watching the chaotic scene below.

When he noticed Fran looking at him, he immediately understood what she wanted.

She was hoping he would use his influence to smooth things over again.

Elan sighed helplessly and waved his hand at her, signaling her to leave quickly.

Fran understood immediately.

She nodded in gratitude and headed straight for the exit.

Xiyns struggled to rise, but his body refused to cooperate. He could only roll onto his side and lift his head slightly.

He watched Fran’s back disappear through the doorway, his face filled with hatred and resentment.

Do not think this ends just because you won today.

Once I return to the Alteration School, I will immediately report this to my mentor.

Then you will learn the consequences of defying a school.

His hands clenched tightly, as if Fran were already in his grasp and he intended to crush her.

“Ah!”

Xiyns screamed again.

Someone had stepped directly on his body, grinding the wound on his back against the floor.

“What happened here?”

At last, the enforcement squad arrived, slowly restoring order to the chaos.

“They fell by themselves.”

One apprentice answered calmly when questioned.

Beside him, Elan nodded in agreement.