Seeing Allen run into Spencer, Berton let out a heavy sigh, his face filled with helplessness.

  He slowly turned his head away, no longer looking at the crystal mirror that reflected the figures of the two.

  So be it. Better to end this farce early, so he would not have to keep wandering around the resource battlefield as an apprentice and continue embarrassing himself.

  He did not believe for a second that Allen stood a chance against Spencer. One was a Fifth-tier Senior Mage, the other a Ninth-tier Senior Mage. There was almost no possibility of victory.

  Several lords nearby, seeing this, also turned their heads away in tacit understanding, shifting their gazes to other crystal mirrors.

  "Is that Kaelor? He has quite a remarkable presence."

  "Who is this one? He actually found a magical beast's lair!"

  "Not bad. Areas near magical beast lairs often have abundant magic crystals, and the terrain is treacherous. You can attack or retreat as needed. A perfect foothold!"

  One after another, they discussed the scenes in the other crystal mirrors, all deliberately avoiding the one showing Allen.

  Even though, at this moment, among all the crystal mirrors, only his was displaying a real battle. The rest were dull by comparison.

  Hearing the discussions around them, the lords all knew in their hearts that Allen was certain to lose, and most likely suffer a crushing defeat, easily overwhelmed by Spencer.

  Since that was the case, it was better not to watch, at least leaving Berton a shred of dignity.

  ...

  On the resource battlefield, Allen looked at Spencer and said with a faint smile at the corner of his lips,"Spencer, if anyone should be apologizing, it should be me."

  "But the resources you are carrying, you should keep them yourself. I do not need them."

  Spencer did not have a spatial storage ring. Unable to store his resources away, he carried them all in a cloth bag hanging at his waist.

  Hearing Allen's words, Spencer was clearly taken aback. He actually dared to say he did not need his resources. Was he putting on a brave front, or was he truly that foolish?

  But in the next moment, before Spencer could even react, Allen, who had been dozens of meters away, vanished from where he stood. He was so fast that no one could even catch his movement.

  In an instant, Allen appeared right in front of him.

  Spencer's heart jolted. He did not dare to be the slightest bit careless. He immediately channeled his magic power into his right fist and slammed it fiercely toward Allen's chest.

  Facing the heavy and powerful punch, Allen neither dodged nor retreated. The magic within his body surged into his own right fist as he met Spencer's strike head on.

  The two fists collided. A dense shockwave of magic swept outward, shattering the surrounding bushes and weeds. The thunderous roar echoed through the silent mountain forest, lingering for a long time.

  A piercing scream burst from Spencer's mouth.

  He felt an incomparably terrifying surge of magic rush into his body through his fist, instantly crushing all of his magical defenses.

  Spencer traced a long arc through the air and slammed heavily into a large tree behind him, making the trunk shake violently.

  But before Spencer could recover from the searing pain, before he could even hit the ground, Allen's figure appeared in front of him once again.

  "Spencer, take a little rest here," Allen's calm voice sounded by Spencer's ear.

  With terror written all over Spencer's face, Allen raised his right hand and struck precisely at Spencer's neck with the edge of his palm.

  Spencer's body stiffened, his consciousness rapidly fading. His eyes closed, and he fell completely unconscious.

  Allen glanced down at Spencer lying on the ground, already incapable of fighting. Without lingering any longer, he turned and continued weaving through the dense mountain forest.

  ...

  On the viewing platform, everyone stood with their mouths agape, staring in shock at the crystal mirror that displayed the battlefield.

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  What had just happened was far too reality shattering, so fast that they had no time to react.

  A moment later, deafening waves of exclamations erupted across the stands, the roar sweeping through the entire arena.

  "What kind of terrifying strength is that?"

  "One strike. Just one strike. Spencer could not even block a single move!"

  Listening to the apprentices' cries rising and falling around him, Berton covered his forehead in embarrassment.

  "This is too humiliating. Not even one move. If he had held on for a few more exchanges, it would not have been this disgraceful."

  "Even if he is only a Fifth-tier Senior Mage, he should at least trade a few blows with Spencer and save a little face."

  "And that Spencer, he really has no sense at all. Could he not leave me a bit of dignity? Attacking so ruthlessly."

  Berton frowned deeply, not daring to look at the crystal mirror, afraid he would see Allen in a sorry state.

  But at that moment, even louder waves of shouting thundered through the stands.

  "Allen is incredible. Is this the true strength of the headmaster's apprentice?"

  "No wonder he is Headmaster Berton's only core apprentice. His reputation is well deserved."

  "He is only at the Fifth-tier Senior Mage level, yet even Spencer, a Ninth-tier Senior Mage, could not withstand a single strike from him."

  "That is outrageous. This kind of talent is unprecedented and unimaginable."

  Headmaster Berton frowned. Hearing the shouts around him, his heart skipped a beat.

  Why did it sound like Allen had defeated Spencer, instead of Spencer crushing Allen?

  Filled with doubt, he cautiously raised his head and looked toward the lords of Aetherlan City beside him, then froze on the spot.

  The lords were all staring wide-eyed at the crystal mirror not far away.

  "This cannot be real. Am I seeing things?"

  "Using the power of a Fifth-tier Senior Mage to fight a Ninth-tier Senior Mage. That defies all common sense."

  "He actually crippled a Ninth-tier Senior Mage with a single move?"

  Hearing their words, Headmaster Berton suddenly turned his head and fixed his gaze on the crystal mirror.

  At this moment, Allen had already ended the battle and was swiftly moving through the forest, leaving behind only Spencer lying unconscious on the ground.

  Even without seeing the full fight, this scene alone explained everything.

  Allen had won. And it was a swift victory. He had crushed the Ninth-tier Senior Mage Spencer with a single strike.

  Berton instantly reined in the shock on his face and straightened his posture calmly.

  A deep and unfathomable expression appeared on his face, as if everything had gone exactly as he had expected.

  "Acceptable. This child has not disappointed my expectations after all."

  The lords nearby looked at Berton with faces full of admiration and eagerly gathered around him to ask,"Headmaster Berton, how exactly do you train such an apprentice?"

  "Please, share your experience with us. How is an apprentice like this cultivated?"

  Listening to their endless exclamations and praise, the corners of Berton's mouth could not help but lift slightly.

  He revealed a faint, self-satisfied smile, secretly delighted.

  I never taught him anything. This kid is all talent.

  Allen had been hiding far deeper than he had imagined. At this moment, all of Berton's previous awkwardness and worry vanished, replaced by overwhelming pride and satisfaction.

  At this moment, Berton, who had been suppressing himself for months, finally felt that his life was complete.

  Putting everything else aside, just based on Allen's battle alone, using the strength of a Fifth-tier Senior Mage to crush Spencer in a single strike, no one would ever again say that he had taken in a Max-Level Trash.

  This was no Max-Level Trash at all. This was clearly a genius among geniuses. Berton stood tall, his pride impossible to hide.

  ...

  On the resource battlefield, the once quiet situation was completely stirred up by Allen's appearance.

  He was far too conspicuous. He had no intention of hiding his tracks at all. In the vast sea of forest, he stood out glaringly, and his moving figure could be seen everywhere across the battlefield.

  Originally, the participating apprentices had been hiding in concealed corners, cautiously lying in wait, observing the situation and unwilling to expose themselves too early.

  But seeing this seemingly weak yet resource-carrying fat sheep swaying back and forth before their eyes, they simply could not suppress the greed in their hearts.

  After all, in their eyes, Allen was just a Fifth-tier Senior Mage.

  One by one, the apprentices stepped out from their hiding places and began closing in on Allen from all directions.

  Their eyes were filled with greed. All of them wanted to seize the resources in Allen's hands and show off their strength in front of everyone.

  What they never expected was that Allen was far too fierce.

  When Allen encountered the apprentices surrounding him, he did not waste words. With a flash of movement, he charged straight in.

  His punches and kicks were heavy and powerful, every strike delivered without the slightest mercy.

  Even after fighting several opponents in succession, his magic consumption was negligible. It was as if he had endless strength, growing more ferocious the longer he fought.

  In an instant, all the apprentices who had joined the siege were completely overwhelmed, each of them left in a miserable state.

  "Damn it. How can he be this strong?"

  "When did Allen become this savage?"

  "We cannot beat him. His magic is far too abundant, and we cannot even break his defense."

  "Who on earth spread the rumor that he is a Max-Level Trash?"

  "Having so much magic is one thing, but how does he know so many techniques?"

  Across the battlefield, brilliant flashes of magic continuously bloomed and shifted. The swiftness of wind, the ferocity of fire, the solidity of earth, and the flexibility of water. Allen switched between them with ease.

  Every spell and technique was executed to perfection, carrying immense power, leaving the apprentices attacking him dizzy and unable to keep up.

  At this moment, the one fighting Allen head on was a Ninth-tier Senior Mage, someone with solid combat ability and a certain reputation within the academy.

  Yet now, he was being forced back step by step by Allen, his face and body covered in wounds, his eyes red, on the verge of tears.

  He simply could not keep up. Allen's techniques were too many and too fast, and every move was precise and ruthless, highly targeted. He had no time to react and could only defend passively.

  At this point, Allen had completely drawn the attention of every apprentice across the resource battlefield. No one dared to treat him as an ordinary Fifth-tier Senior Mage anymore.

  No one dared to underestimate him. Everyone knew that the Allen before them was a true powerhouse.

  "I give up. I will never dare to steal your resources again. Please stop hitting me."