Novels online

Chapter 168: What's the Difference Between This and Other: Wizard Apprentice?

As Su Nan's voice faded, a dazzling, multicolored light erupted from the body of the Secret Puppet.

Those present, all Level Three Wizard Apprentices with keen eyes, immediately recognized it as the unique radiance of a spell.

Levitation Spell, Lightness Spell, Brute Strength Spell, Resilience Spell, Shield Spell, Elemental Protection—all were present.

In an instant, the Secret Puppet was imbued with eight spells.

This scene left Night Owl and the others dumbfounded, their eyes fixed in disbelief.

While there were puppets capable of wielding spells, ancient texts recorded techniques for permanently binding spells to puppets. However, their skills in crafting puppets had not reached that level, preventing them from creating such beings.

Even without the ability to craft them, they knew that a puppet created through these techniques was considered exceptional if it had three or four spells permanently bound.

Yet, the puppet before them had released eight spells consecutively, meaning it possessed at least eight spells bound to it permanently!

In their century-plus of lives, this was the first time they had ever witnessed such a phenomenon!

Saulo was also taken aback.

This was the first time he had encountered a puppet like this.

Instantly, the contempt in his heart vanished, and his expression turned solemn.

Pfft! Pfft!

The serpentine body connecting the seven snake heads suddenly detached from Saulo, landing on the ground and transforming into seven thick, giant pythons that lunged at Su Nan, releasing a foul stench.

Meanwhile, Saulo raised his hand and released an arrow made of a greenish liquid.

Melf's Acid Arrow!

“Silent Spell Casting!” Night Owl exclaimed in a low voice, not expecting Saulo to have mastered Silent Spell Casting as well.

However, as soon as his words faded, he noticed Hunter, Traveler, and Scepter all wearing strange expressions.

"What's wrong?" Night Owl asked, puzzled.

Traveler grinned, pointing at Su Nan and saying, "You should see for yourself."

Night Owl turned in confusion, and in the next moment, his eyes widened in shock.

It was evident that with each lift of Su Nan's hand and foot, brilliant lights flashed, and Spell after Spell was unleashed without the slightest pause.

Magic Missile, Scorching Ray, Shattering Sound Wave, and Blazing Fireball—almost as soon as the last Spell was cast, the light of the next one would shine forth, the speed of release alarmingly rapid.

What shocked him even more was that the Spells Su Nan was casting were clearly different from ordinary Spells.

The trajectory of the Magic Missile was unpredictable, the Scorching Ray could actually change direction, and the Shield Spell had transformed into a protective barrier enveloping his entire body.

Wait a minute!

Night Owl suddenly realized that while unleashing offensive Spells, Su Nan had simultaneously placed a Shield Spell around himself!

Composite Casting!

Hiss!

Night Owl gasped, disbelief filling his eyes.

Instant Spell Casting, Composite Casting, Spell Construction!

Su Nan had actually mastered so many Metamagic Techniques!

Moreover, these were some of the most difficult Metamagic Techniques to master, known for their challenging nature!

In comparison, Saulo’s mastery of Silent Spell Casting suddenly seemed insignificant.

On the opposite side, Saulo also wore a shocked expression.

He had originally thought that his ability to perform Silent Spell Casting was proof of extraordinary talent, but to his astonishment, Su Nan had mastered at least four Metamagic Techniques!

"Is this guy a monster?!"

Saulo, often perceived as a monster by others, couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy in his heart.

However, he quickly brushed it aside and turned his attention to the Secret Puppet not far away.

While he was engaged in battle with Su Nan, the Secret Puppet Girl and the seven giant pythons had begun their own fight.

Armed with a sword in one hand and Spell in the other, the Secret Puppet Girl showcased not only powerful close-combat skills but also remarkable Spell mastery.

Her casting speed was even faster than Saulo’s.

In just seven or eight breaths, she had unleashed no fewer than twenty different Spells.

He couldn’t help but wonder how many Spells she had permanently affixed to her body.

Even if Su Nan possessed her skill level, what kind of materials could support so many Spells permanently affixed?

What shocked Saulo even more was that Secret Puppet Girl's body was shrouded in a layer of intertwined light, a pale cyan and earthy yellow.

These were the Wind Element Energy Particles and Earth Element Energy Particles.

The crimson and deep blue light enveloping the blade of the sword represented flames and Lightning Element Energy Particles.

From time to time, Secret Puppet Girl would raise his hand, unleashing large swaths of frost and shadow rays, clearly comprised of Ice Element Energy Particles and Shadow Element Energy Particles.

This puppet could even manipulate Energy Particles!

A monstrous wave surged in Saulo's heart.

The capabilities of this puppet completely transcended his understanding!

What difference was there between these abilities and those of a wizard apprentice?

When had a puppet become capable of manipulating Energy Particles and effortlessly casting spells like a wizard apprentice?

No, this Secret Puppet was even more powerful than many Level Three Wizard Apprentices!

Judging by the power it was currently displaying, probably no one in the entire Eternal Life Society, except for him, would stand a chance against this puppet!

Saulo's heart was filled with profound shock.

Night Owl and the others were equally dumbfounded, their gazes blank.

"It can even manipulate Energy Particles."

"Is this really a puppet?"

"The bodies of those snake heads haven't become more solid, so it has to be a puppet."

"Unbelievable..."

They had never imagined that a puppet could be so refined and powerful!

It was as if a Level Three Wizard Apprentice had been created!

It was even more powerful than they were!

Boom!

A massive fireball roared, pulverizing one of the snake heads. Secret Puppet Girl didn't pause; his figure flashed as he evaded the biting attacks of the snake heads coming from both sides. Like a ghost, he swept behind another snake head, thrusting the longsword in his hand forward to pierce it. Flames and lightning erupted, instantly tearing the snake head and its body to shreds.

Although the two snake heads quickly reformed, their bodies were noticeably more illusory, and the color of the scales on the heads had grown dimmer.

Without the nutrient absorption ability of the Seed of Killing Intent, these seven conjured giant pythons were simply no match for the Secret Puppet Girl.

With each death and rebirth, his energy was rapidly dwindling.

Saulo, observing the situation unfold, felt his heart sink. He had thought that with the abilities of Carlos Python's Bloodline, he could easily take down the Secret Forest Hut. However, he never imagined that Su Nan was concealing such a powerful trump card.

“Seven Serpent Heads is useless now. The only option is to eliminate Su Nan first!”

A cold glint flashed in Saulo’s eyes. His hands shot out, twisting and transforming into two ferocious snake heads that rapidly extended forward, hissing and snapping their fangs at Su Nan.

At the same time, a strange wave of energy enveloped Su Nan, attempting to warp his mind.

The insidious Spiritual Power infiltrated Su Nan’s brain, trying to distort his thoughts.

“You never learn,” Su Nan sneered, immediately activating his last Funeral Bell Mark.

With a dull, thunderous death knell, Iro staggered into view from the shadows a hundred meters away. Before she could catch her breath, two Mithril Golems descended from the sky, surrounding her from the front and back. Their iron fists aimed to smash down upon her head.

Night Owl and the others, who were about to rush forward to help, halted in their tracks, silently clicking their tongues.

Not one, but two Mithril Golems!

On the other side, Saulo grunted as the sound waves of the death knell struck him. The two ferocious snake heads burst into a shower of blood mist.

He pulled back his hands, noticing his arms were already covered in blood.

“Bloodline Mark!”

Saulo’s temple throbbed. He had lived for nearly two hundred years and had fought at least sixty or seventy Level Three Wizard Apprentices, but he had never encountered anyone like Su Nan, who seemed to have endless trump cards.

It was genuinely frustrating!

The only silver lining was that Su Nan had likely expended a significant amount of energy in the previous battles. His Spiritual Power was probably nearly exhausted; otherwise, he wouldn’t have stopped using spells after just one exchange.

In other words, Su Nan was currently reliant solely on his magical artifacts.

As long as he could wear down those artifacts, he could kill him!

In the blink of an eye, Saulo had made a decision. With a swift swipe of his index finger across his right palm, his skin split open, revealing not blood, but a viscous gray fluid.

With his exceptionally keen eyesight, Su Nan could clearly see small white dots, each the size of a sesame seed, within the fluid. Upon contact with the air, these white dots rapidly expanded as if they were being inflated, transforming into egg-like objects that soon burst open, releasing slender, tiny snakes covered in the slime.

The slime evaporated swiftly, and simultaneously, the little snakes grew larger at an astonishing rate. In an instant, the cave was filled with hundreds of giant pythons, each over ten meters long, hissing as they darted their tongues at Su Nan.

Su Nan’s expression remained unchanged. With a flick of his wrist, a High Rune Gem materialized in his palm. The next moment, a deafening roar erupted as countless thin, snake-like bolts of lightning exploded throughout the cave, instantly obliterating dozens of the giant pythons.

Saulo’s eye twitched and his face darkened as he released a large quantity of snake eggs. Su Nan recognized Saulo’s strategy and chuckled to himself before retrieving yet another High Rune Gem.

For a time, the hissing of the snake tongues and the muffled thunderclaps echoed endlessly within the cave. Giant pythons were constantly being born, only to be annihilated moments later by the lightning. The center of the cave had become a veritable meat grinder of a battlefield.

Night Owl and the others, watching from the sidelines, swallowed hard in secret dread. If they had faced either of those two, they would have surely met their end long ago. The power of the two was simply on an entirely different level compared to their own.

Boom! Another explosion of lightning obliterated the surrounding giant pythons. Saulo’s face paled, but this time, he made no move. After all, the snake eggs within him were not infinite, and the fierce battle had already drained his supply.

Seeing this, Su Nan let out a cold laugh, flipping his hand to reveal four High Rune Gems nestled between his fingers, shimmering under the faint light emanating from the cave’s ceiling.

For this operation, he had prepared over a hundred High Rune Gems in total.

The continuous battles leading up to this, especially the one against the Multi-Winged Monster, had consumed quite a few, but he still had nearly a hundred left.

Saulo's desire to compete with him in a war of attrition was simply courting death.

Even if there were another Saulo, they would not be able to outlast him!

To take a step back, even if he ran out of High Rune Gems, he still had the Golden Apple and the Golem Legion in the Magic Cube, ensuring that he could not possibly lose in a battle of attrition.

From the moment he decided to engage in this test of endurance, Saulo's fate had already been sealed.

Seeing the four gems in Su Nan's palm, Saulo’s face instantly turned pale.

The next moment, accompanied by a deafening rumble, dazzling lightning instantly engulfed Saulo!

Not far away, the Seven Serpent Heads, which had been beaten to the brink of death by the Secret Puppet, twitched as if electrocuted, then abruptly vanished like a shattered bubble.

Su Nan watched intently. As the lightning dissipated, only a charred corpse remained.

"The body fused with the Ancient Bloodline is indeed powerful, surviving without turning to dust after all that."

Su Nan marveled inwardly.

The power of four High Rune Gems combined in a single blow would turn even a Mithril Golem to ashes, yet Saulo was still able to leave behind a corpse—an astonishing testament to his physique.

Su Nan did not rush forward; he let the Secret Puppet Girl examine the body. After confirming that Saulo was truly dead, he instructed her to take the Space Ring and then turned his gaze toward Iro in the distance.

The Golem was immune to all illusions, and under the combined assaults of two Mithril Golems, Iro had lost the composure it once had and now found itself in dire straits.

Realizing that Saulo had fallen to Su Nan, Iro understood the gravity of the situation and wanted to escape, but Su Nan's gaze was already fixed on her.

"I let you escape once in the chaos. I didn’t expect you to return, thinking there would be a second chance?"

Su Nan sneered.

Without him needing to make a move, the Secret Puppet Girl had already charged forward.

"Facing an opponent with combat power comparable to that of a top Level Three Wizard Apprentice, who was also immune to Illusion, Iro found himself with little power to resist. In a single clash, his Secret Puppet Girl shattered the protective layers of the Shield Spell and Magic Item before beheading him with a sword.

The head soared high into the air, landing more than ten meters away before tumbling a considerable distance and finally coming to a stop. Its bright blue eyes stared fixedly at the cave ceiling, still filled with unwillingness and terror.

Su Nan clicked his tongue.

Specializing in Illusion could unleash immense power at certain times, but encountering an opponent immune to it would leave one completely suppressed, unable to fight back.

"However, while specialization isn't necessary, dabbling in it is still worthwhile."

Su Nan removed Iro's Space Ring, opened it, and glanced inside. He discovered several Wizard Codex, and perhaps he might find a Spell from the Illusion system among them.

After stowing the ring away, Su Nan looked at the group of Night Owls nearby and then walked toward the Multi-Winged Monster.

Since it was in a corner, the Multi-Winged Monster had not been affected by the fierce battle moments ago and had instead used the opportunity to recover some of its strength.

Upon noticing Su Nan approaching, this Divine Being began flapping its wings in a panic, stirring the air to lift its body and attempt to flee, but the Secret Puppet Girl struck it down with a sword.

Following this, Su Nan delivered a series of punches, completely stripping the Multi-Winged Monster of any power to resist.

Only then did Su Nan take out his Gem and begin drawing the Seal Array.

At this point, the group of Night Owls gradually returned to their senses, their gazes toward Su Nan's back filled with complex emotions—both awe and amazement.

The infamous founder of the Eternal Life Society had just died at Su Nan's hands.

Before that, he had also just defeated a Divine Being of Fourth Circle Legend level.

Such strength was truly awe-inspiring.

Having known Su Nan for so long, it was only today that they truly grasped how powerful he was.

Throughout the entire Southeast Region continent, few, if any, Wizard Apprentices matched Su Nan's power!