Grinding EXP From Fireball Skill-Chapter 29: The Youngest Apprentice Mage
"Cheating! This is definitely cheating!"
Allen shouted.
He glared at Aier and yelled, "You’ve gone too far! How could you have someone cast a Tier One Magic Shield on him!"
Aier didn’t know who had done it, but he definitely wouldn’t admit it.
The gauntlet was already humiliating enough. If they won by cheating, the Mage Association wouldn’t recognize the victory.
He said, "Don’t you dare make false accusations! Li Wei didn’t cheat!"
Allen sneered, "Heh. Are you telling me he knows the Tier One Magic Shield spell?"
Aier was speechless. Li Wei looked so young; how could he possibly know the Tier One Magic Shield spell?
The Magic Shield on Li Wei had most likely been secretly cast by an Apprentice Mage or a Mage.
Hearing the two argue, Li Wei stepped forward and said, "Mage Allen, Mage Aier, this isn’t a Tier One Magic Shield."
At his words, they both turned to look at him.
Allen looked at him and said, "It’s not? Then what is it?"
"This is the Tier Zero spell, Invisible Armor!" Li Wei said.
Upon hearing this, Aier’s eyes widened in shock. "What? You know the Invisibility Armor Spell?" he exclaimed.
"Dammit! How could that stubborn old man Orn have agreed to let you learn this Magic?" Aier asked, completely bewildered.
Allen asked, surprised, "Orn gave you this Magic?"
He composed himself after a moment and said, "Demonstrate the Casting for us."
Li Wei said, "I need a target."
With a casual wave from Allen, a Rock Puppet appeared on the ground.
"Cast the Magic on the Rock Puppet."
Li Wei said deliberately, "I’ve only just mastered this Magic. I’ll need some time to prepare."
Allen and Aier both looked at him. "No rush. Take your time."
The others all stared at him, curious as to what kind of amazing Magic the Invisibility Armor Spell was to have such high Defense Power.
Hiding his true skill, Li Wei dawdled for five or six minutes before finally completing the Casting.
A flash of Magic Radiance flickered across the Rock Puppet as a layer of Invisible Armor covered it.
Curious, both Allen and Aier reached out to touch it.
After feeling it, Aier raised a hand and fired off a Small Fireball Technique.
BANG!
The Invisible Armor blocked Aier’s Small Fireball Technique.
His gaze firmed. He had now confirmed that Li Wei wasn’t lying.
The power of his Small Fireball Technique far exceeded that of a Mage Apprentice’s.
A single hit would shatter a Mage Apprentice’s Tier Zero Magic Shield.
And yet, it couldn’t break through Li Wei’s Invisible Armor.
Aier raised his hand. A moment later, a Fireball appeared in his palm. It shot out and struck the Rock Puppet.
BOOM!
Flames erupted and a wave of heat billowed outwards.
Feeling a blast of hot air, Li Wei took two steps back.
He was surprised; he hadn’t realized the Tier One Fireball Technique was so much more powerful than the Tier Zero Small Fireball Technique.
The Invisible Armor shattered, and a chunk was blown out of the Rock Puppet.
Allen waved his hand, dismissing the Rock Puppet.
He looked at Li Wei and said, "Alright, you win. We lose."
"The Invisibility Armor Spell is truly impressive!"
Li Wei just smiled and said nothing.
Was the Invisibility Armor Spell impressive?
Yes, it was, but defense wasn’t the specialty of Invisible Armor.
The true Defense Power of the Invisibility Armor Spell was comparable to that of a Magic Shield.
The reason its Defense Power was so exceptionally high was due to the amplification from Li Wei’s Mana and his high Skill proficiency.
If an ordinary Mage Apprentice were to cast the Invisibility Armor Spell, its Defense Power naturally wouldn’t be so high.
Unfortunately, Allen and Aier had no one else to compare him to.
They had no choice but to believe whatever Li Wei said.
Another reason was that they simply didn’t believe Li Wei could influence the power of the Magic.
Li Wei was just too young.
Allen casually took out a Short-Handled Staff and handed it to Li Wei.
"This is your prize."
A look of surprise on his face, Li Wei glanced at Mage Aier.
Mage Aier smiled and said, "You secured a victory for the Maple City Mage Tower. This belongs to you."
According to the Mage Association’s rules, if a challenge fails, the challenger must leave an item behind as a forfeit.
The Magic Staff was the forfeit Allen had prepared.
Before this, he never imagined he would actually have to hand it over.
Li Wei took the Magic Staff from Allen’s hand.
Lair walked over, a dejected look on his face as he stared at the Magic Staff in Li Wei’s hands.
That Magic Staff was supposed to be his.
It was the Magic Staff Allen had prepared for him for when he became a Tier One Mage; he never expected it to be lost to Li Wei as a forfeit.
Allen glanced at Li Wei, then his gaze swept over the other Mage Apprentices and Apprentice Mages.
He led his group, heading back in the direction they came from.
Returning along the same path.
Reaching the doorway, he stopped and turned to look back at Li Wei.
He said, "I’ll remember you, Li Wei."
"Even without the Invisibility Armor Spell, you’re still very impressive!"
"I’ll be staying at the Professional Association for a while. If you’re willing to join the Extreme Night City Mage Tower, you can come find me anytime."
Having said his piece, Allen turned and left.
Aier’s expression changed. Allen was actually trying to poach from the Maple City Mage Tower.
Aier looked at Li Wei and asked, "What’s your fastest Casting time for the Small Fireball Technique?"
Li Wei answered, "Nine seconds."
Prompted by Allen’s words, Aier remembered something else.
Li Wei’s Casting speed for the Small Fireball Technique seemed to have already met the standard for an Apprentice Mage.
Because Lair’s Casting speed was faster than Li Wei’s, no one had paid attention to how long it took Li Wei to cast a single Small Fireball Technique.
It was only afterward that Allen realized Li Wei could very well become the Maple City Mage Tower’s youngest Apprentice Mage.
That’s why he had taken the initiative to extend an olive branch to Li Wei.
Aier realized this as well, now that he knew Li Wei had met the standard for an Apprentice Mage.
He said without the slightest hesitation, "Li Wei, starting today, you are an Apprentice Mage of the Maple City Mage Tower."
Aier took out a badge representing the rank of Apprentice Mage and handed it to Li Wei.
No matter what, he had to lock Li Wei into the Maple City Mage Tower first.
It wouldn’t even matter if Li Wei was lying and hadn’t actually reached the standard for an Apprentice Mage yet.
With the strength he’d shown, it was only a matter of time before he became an Apprentice Mage anyway.
Aier took out a bottle of Magic Potion and gave it to Li Wei, saying, "This is the reward for first place in the Apprentice assessment trial."
Li Wei accepted the badge and the Magic Potion.
’I thought skipping a rank would be a huge hassle,’ he mused, ’but I never expected Mage Aier to offer it to me himself.’
Holding the items, Li Wei said, "Mage Aier, I haven’t taken the Apprentice assessment yet."
Aier smiled and said, "You already defeated Lair. It’s only natural for you to take first place."
"Of course, for the sake of fairness, go test your Mana Strength. I’ll give you a ranking."
Li Wei nodded and walked toward the Magic Stele.
He placed his hand on the Magic Stele and infused his Mana into it.
The Magic Stele displayed the number "222".
Mage Aier froze in his tracks. He stared at the number above, stunned for a long time.
Doug looked up, his expression frozen in disbelief.
When Gu Ze saw Li Wei’s Mana Strength, he also froze on the spot.
Li Wei looked up at the number at the top of the Magic Stele, a little surprised himself.
It was much higher than he had expected.
He had thought it would be a little over a hundred at most; he didn’t expect it to be this high.
Turning back, Li Wei asked, "Mage Aier, is there something wrong with the Magic Stele?"
Mage Aier didn’t hear his question. Snapping back to his senses, he looked at him and asked, "How long have you been with the Mage Tower?"
