Chapter 25: Old Merlin

Cromwell had always believed that Kevin was the only young man in the Guild of Magic worthy enough to be mentioned in the same breath as him. He had believed that the mage—three years older than him and three years ahead of him to be certified level-eight—was his only rival in Jarrosus City.

As for Lin Li… he was nothing but a low-level mage.

But now, he crumbled with a bang before such a low-level mage.

There were no explanations and no reasons. It was merely a simple yet brutal Waterfall Strike, and it thoroughly shattered the pride Cromwell held for over 20 years.

While on the floor, Cromwell suddenly realized just how frail he was.

Lin Li bent over Cromwell, the smile never leaving his face. Only his eyes revealed a menacing light, such that Cromwell never doubted he’d kill him with a lift of his hand.

Endless fear welled up from the bottom of his heart, as if he was back in the Sunset Mountains in an instant, faced with the terrifying Thunder Gorilla. He shrank back involuntarily once more.

“Enough!” Just then, a voice came from below the steps.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Cromwell, who was just sinking into fear, was like a drowning man clutching at a life-saving straw. “Father!”

“Shut up! Don’t you find yourself embarrassing enough?” Old Merlin emerged from the crowd. He wore a black mage robe, his right hand clutching a green staff. He exuded an aura so powerful that even on the steps a distance away, Lin Li could sense an irresistible pressure.

“Mage Felic, thanks for disciplining my child on my behalf.” Old Merlin looked sincere and bowed slightly at Lin Li. But when he looked up, his eyes divulged a hint of murderous intent. “But some things should be left to me, the father. Young man, it never hurts to be a little kinder.”

As Old Merlin’s voice settled, the magical elements in the surroundings turned into a violent wave, like a giant vortex spreading across the area. Lin Li felt an unprecedented pressure standing in the center of this vortex. He had to clench his teeth tightly to ensure he wouldn’t bend under this immense pressure.

At the same time, Old Merlin’s mental strength was surging like torrential tide, dealing an impact with every wave to the center of the vortex where Lin Li stood.

“You’re too polite.” Lin Li clenched his jaws, sparking an abnormal mental strength all of a sudden, barely enduring the battle with Old Merlin where he faced too huge a gap in the first place.

But between a level-fifteen archmage and a level-eight mage, mental strength alone would be far from enough to compensate for the huge disparity in power.

It was an all-dimensional disparity, not only in power and experience, but also in the comprehension of rules.

At this moment, Old Merlin seemed like a veteran who had mastered the rules of the game bullying a newcomer who had just entered the gaming circle.

Once you surpassed level-fifteen to reach the realm of an archmage, your understanding of the entire world of magic would be on completely another level. No matter how strong Lin Li’s mental strength was, or how near-infinite his mana was, he could never overcome such disparity in level.

What he could do now was to hang on and persevere.

But even so, he could not hold on for too long.

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For Lin Li could clearly feel the giant vortex spinning at a crazier speed…

After waves and waves of mental strikes, he was on the brink of collapse.

It was a feeling of desperation. In the midst of the huge vortex, Lin Li felt that he had no room to fight back.

An archmage is indeed impressive… It was the first time Lin Li had met an adversary impossible to overcome ever since he had transmigrated. A profound sense of frustration sprung from his heart.

In fact, at this time, Old Merlin was feeling no more peaceful than Lin Li.

The young mage before him was no more than 20 years of age, much younger than Cromwell. But in the control of power, he was several times stronger than Cromwell, who had displayed an outstanding talent from a young age. Old Merlin had also observed in the probe earlier on how horribly strong this young man’s mental strength was. He had given it his all, yet he couldn’t figure out where his limit actually was.

Old Merlin knew very well it was all because of his deeper understanding of the rules that he was able to dominate the battle.

There was a difference of ten levels between both sides, and in the end this would be the way to decide the winner in this battle.

Mage was a highly hierarchical profession, and each level implied a great progress in power. The gap between an archmage and a mage was vaster than the sea of darkness. It was only in levelled battles, such as those between Old Merlin and Gerian, that competition was the rule.

An archmage oppressing a mage was an absolute crush…

But the crush that was expected eventually came to such a situation at present. Even Old Merlin could not help but be startled.

The only thing that pleased Old Merlin was that this unequal yet ridiculous battle was at last coming to an end…

Thinking it over, Old Merlin felt pathetic. He was an archmage, yet he was taking pride in defeating a mage.

The giant vortex spun insanely, and the waves of mental strikes were each one wave higher than another.

Just as Lin Li thought he would be swallowed by the giant vortex, a familiar voice rang from within the Emerald Tower. “Matthew, I see you’re really getting out of it.”

The next moment, Lin Li felt the weight lifted off his body. The giant vortex seemed to vanish without a trace in an instant, as if it had never been there before. Old Merlin still stood at the bottom of the steps a distance away; his eyes shifted from Lin Li to the depths of the Emerald Tower.

Gerian came out of the tower, looking as clumsy as ever. His round figure was moving rather than walking.

“Cut the crap, Gerian. You’ve got to give me an explanation for what happened today.”

“Give you a f*ck…” Gerian retorted with a glare. “I say, Matthew, you’re old enough now, shouldn’t you be more sensible? Demanding an explanation when you bullied someone from my guild, do you really think I’m easy to bully now that I’ve gained weight in these two years?”

“…”

As Gerian’s voice fell, the atmosphere outside Emerald Tower turned intense. All hearts were lifted to their owners’ mouths. This was not a battle between Lin Li and Old Merlin like the one before—that was merely payback from a father for beating up his son. Now, both men standing there were archmages over level-fifteen, and were likewise two of the top powers leading Jarrosus.

Once the two powers turned against each other, the whole of Jarrosus would fall into turmoil.