NOVEL NEXT Chapter 181: Third Party
"Are we sure this is it?" One of the Apprentice Mages who had never seen the flower before said softly.
Since it hadn't bloomed just yet, he was still unsure whether it was really their objective…
Julia nodded. "The mana signature is unmistakable. These are the real thing."
"Eight of them…" Clyde murmured. "We're lucky."
"No. It's not luck… We fought for this…" Harrison corrected calmly.
After scanning the area, they soon began setting up a protective perimeter.
Apprentice Mages placed various barrier talismans, they purchased a Talisman Master in the Tower…
On the other hand, Van and the slaves took watch near the edge of the river, where some claw prints hinted that other beasts had recently passed through but hadn't dared approach the blooming grounds.
Time passed slowly.
As the 45-minute mark approached, the air around the flowers began to pulse…
It was about to bloom!
Thankfully, there weren't any Magic Beasts lurking around, and it had been quite peaceful. The beasts had probably noticed their number as well and avoided their current spot…
Soon, a light wind swirled through the clearing—not from the trees but from the mana the flowers had begun to emit.
"It's coming…" Julia whispered… She actually liked to see it bloom personal,y as she felt that it was such a magical sight.
However, before the flower could do so, they heard a rustle in the trees.
Everyone suddenly tensed as the ward talismans they placed didn't react.
Soon, a new group of Apprentice Mages emerged, at least twelve in number.
They wore the same Academy uniforms but bore different Relay Station armbands.
Their robes were stained with blood and dirt as it seemed that they also fought a difficult battle…
Most of them were armed and clearly on edge.
The leader, a tall girl with brown hair and a staff wrapped in vines, stepped forward.
"Well, well. We thought this place wouldn't have visitors…" She said while scanning the gathered group.
She immediately recognized Clyde and Harrison as they came from the same batch.
"Looks like you got here first."
Van subtly shifted his stance as he wasn't sure if there would be a sudden battle.
On the other hand, Julia didn't say anything, but her hand moved closer to the satchel containing her spell scrolls.
"There are other sites where these flowers bloom…" Harrison said, keeping his tone neutral, "but none as secure as this one. That's why you're here, isn't it?"
The brown-haired girl smiled. "True. The others are swarming with aggressive beasts. This one, though... seems quite peaceful."
Van's eyes narrowed. The way she said it—it wasn't admiration.
It felt as if she was calculating something…
"We've been protecting this ground. We fought five Bramblebacks not even an hour ago…" Julia said. "These flowers will bloom soon, and we'll harvest them properly..."
"You want to harvest them? We also fought against five Ember Badgers that were coming this way… We also did our part to protect this area…" The woman said.
Another apprentice on her team also added, "Should we fight for the eight flowers? No one owns this patch anyway."
Tension coiled instantly.
Clyde and Harrison needed three Flowers… Then, they planned to give one to Julia to help them. As for the other four, they planned to give them to the Rukh Tower as part of the deal for guarding this Whistle Forest.
After all, the two of them knew another usage of the Flower aside from making it as an ingredient for a potion.
They needed exactly three flowers for that…
'Not good…' Clyde thought to himself as he glanced at Harrison.
This was a rare chance, and they just couldn't give it up.
In the meantime, Julia remained calm, but Van could see the micro-reactions in her eyes.
Julia was also calculating outcomes—how many could fight with them fast enough, how many could cast spells, how many could be neutralized in the first strike, and other variables…
Well, after being together with Van, she was already aware that the battles weren't just throwing out spells while also using shields to protect yourself.
She also had to consider the condition of the enemies, the terrain, her allies, and of course, her own strength…
'A battle against fellow mages isn't good.' Van thought as he didn't really want a battle right now…
Still, he quietly tapped the hilt of his blade and readied his Ocularis Lens...
Although they were all fellow magicians of the Rukh Tower, no one would know what could happen in this forest.
They could easily blame the Magic Beasts for eating the other Apprentice Mages if they wanted.
'The test observer was also not present… Are they sleeping? No, maybe they just didn't dare to go this deeply in the forest?' Van mused…
Nonetheless, it seemed that Clyde had already made up his mind.
He actually stepped forward while bravely holding his staff…
"Leave now… We found it first… We will be taking all the credit. If you think you can take it from us, go ahead and try."
These words stunned the brown-haired woman. She didn't expect that Clyde, who was always scared of a full-blown battle, would suddenly suggest this.
She immediately observed his people and realized that there was a new magician with them…
To her knowledge, there shouldn't be another batch of Mages to be sent here.
It means that this new Mage wasn't part of the team but just a temporary one…
"Ahh… Are you so brave because of the Student Mage with you?" She asked with a chuckle.
She immediately guessed that Julia wasn't part of Clyde's station and was one of the students who had been sent here to conduct a test for practical experience…
***
Just as the two groups were assessing their strengths and preparing for an impending battle, the ground trembled.
Everyone was alarmed as they didn't want a third party benefiting from their battle… That would be such a stupid thing if they allowed it to happen.
However, the third party wasn't another group of Apprentices.
Instead, they felt a rumble from beneath the earth, followed by the sharp hiss…
Suddenly—
CRACK!
A massive serpent burst through the ground!
It was huge!
Its body was thick as an old tree trunk, covered in purple scales!
"W-what?"
"There's a beast like this in the forest?!"
"It's huge!"
This creature was indeed huge as it towered above the trees and was emitting a strong aura…
But what truly froze everyone in place were the two curved black horns rising from its head!
"A-A Two-Horned Beast?!" One apprentice stammered, falling backward.
As a Zero-Circle Mage, facing the Two-Horned Beasts was a death sentence.
Although they could struggle against One-Horned Beasts, with their number, speedcasting, and by exploiting their weakness, it was different when faced against Two-Horned Beasts.
Their weakness wouldn't be something they could exploit as a Zero-Circle Mage.
After all, they should still possess a level of strength to take advantage of it. Without enough strength, those weaknesses wouldn't matter at all.
"No way! I've never heard of a Two-Horned Serpent in Whistler Forest!" Another cried.
"R-right… It even looks like an adult Azure Serpent… That thing should only exist in the Gorge of Oath!
However, instead of looking at the Apprentices, the monster's amber eyes locked on the Spiritual Kiss Flowers. Its tongue flicked as if it was tasting the mana in the air.
It actually ignored the 20 or so Apprentice Mages and focused on the flower! It was as if it knew that these Mages were nothing to its power!
"It's… it's targeting the flowers!" Julia shouted.
Not good.
They didn't even need to speak—instinct and fear kicked in. They couldn't help the serpent have it!
Clyde raised his staff. "Form a line! Forget everything else! We also can't escape this thing! We'll die if we don't stop it!"
The brown-haired girl from the rival group gave her own orders. "All groups! Cast ranged spells! Stop it before it reaches the flowers!"
The air exploded with mana as more than twenty Apprentice Mages united.
Spells flew.
"Magic Bullet!"
"Mana Chains!"
"Mana Burst!"
"Mana Bomb!"
The forest lit up as numerous Zero-Circle spells launched toward the approaching serpent.
But the serpent barely flinched.
Its scales were more than enough to ignore all of their Zero-Circle Spells!
The Magic Bullets pinged off its scales like pebbles on stone. Mana Chains tried to bind it, but the sheer force of its body shattered them like a fragile thread.
Still, it was annoyed by their constant attack… It hissed loudly and the resonance it created shook the trees and made several mages flinch in fear.
Van, however, didn't join the attacking group and observed the situation…
Instead, he stood silently behind the others, his gaze locked on the glowing flowers swaying gently by the riverbank.
They hadn't completely bloomed yet—but they would, very soon.
A plan formed in his mind.
'We're not going to kill that thing with our current lineup…' Van thought grimly.
'At best, we'll drive it off. At worst, half of us will die trying.'