Ethan turned to look.
At some point, eight figures had appeared on the second-floor balcony of the castle.
There were three women and five men, none of whom looked particularly old, appearing to be in their early twenties.
The one speaking was the man standing at the very front. He wore a deep purple robe, had a tall and thin build, and his black hair was draped over his shoulders. A playful smile played on his face.
"A pity. Your teammates weren't so lucky." He tilted his head, his gaze sweeping over the four corpses as his lips curled into a nonchalant arc. "They were taken out by some wizardry we fired off on a whim. My apologies."
As he finished speaking, the people behind him burst into laughter.
Their laughter was reckless and unrestrained, as if they were watching an entertaining performance.
Ethan did not respond.
He simply stood his ground, his gaze scanning the eight individuals.
They were at least Second-Tier Wizard Apprentices.
It wouldn't even be surprising if there were Third-Tiers among them.
After all, anyone who could silently take out four Second-Tiers was definitely not weak.
Every single one of these eight people was stronger than him.
Ethan took a deep breath.
In this situation, there was no room for hesitation.
"Unlock passives."
【Consume 256 Life Energy to unlock the 9th passive?】
"Confirm."
【Energy deducted: 256 points. Current Energy: 4,332 points.】
【Generating passive...】
【Generation complete. Obtained passive: Blood Fury.】
【Blood Fury: The weaker your vitality, the stronger all damage dealt becomes.】
Ethan's eyebrows quirked slightly.
This passive was brutal.
The lower the health, the higher the power—a classic setup for a chosen one.
"Keep unlocking."
【Consume 512 Life Energy to unlock the 10th passive?】
"Confirm."
【Energy deducted: 512 points. Current Energy: 3,820 points.】
【Generating passive...】
【Generation complete. Obtained passive: Void Shield.】
【Void Shield: Any form of incoming attack has a 25% chance to be completely negated.】
A slight curve appeared at the corner of Ethan's mouth.
"Continue."
【Consume 1,024 Life Energy to unlock the 11th passive?】
"Confirm."
【Energy deducted: 1,024 points. Current Energy: 2,796 points.】
【Generating passive...】
【Generation complete. Obtained passive: Rock Solid.】
【Rock Solid: Reduces incoming damage by 20%.】
"One last one."
【Consume 2,048 Life Energy to unlock the 12th passive?】
"Confirm."
【Energy deducted: 2,048 points. Current Energy: 748 points.】
【Generating passive...】
【Generation complete. Obtained passive: Archmage.】
【Archmage: Increases supernatural knowledge learning speed by 2,500%. Reduces chanting time and mana cost by 50% when casting wizardry.】
Four passives: one offensive, two defensive, and one utility.
Blood Fury made him stronger as he took damage, Void Shield was a gamble on probability, and Rock Solid directly cut incoming damage by a fifth.
Ethan took another deep breath. "Who are you people?"
The man in the purple robe tilted his head, his grin widening. "Heh. Why should a dead man know so much?"
Ethan’s own lips curled slightly as his gaze circled the eight of them. "True. But since I'm already going to die, at least let me be an informed ghost."
The man in purple paused for a moment before laughing out loud. "Heh, you're an interesting kid. No wonder you could fight off so many Human-Faced Wolves on your own."
He studied Ethan with a playful look. "Most people would have pissed themselves after seeing their teammates slaughtered and facing eight opponents alone. You, on the other hand, still have the mind to ask questions."
"Have you been here the whole time?" Ethan didn't take the bait.
"Hehe. For the sake of you little apprentices from Blood Bone Tower, I've been stuck in this backwater place for ten days." The man in purple wagged his index finger. "I even wasted a concealment Wizardry Tool. Do you know how expensive those are? Thirty magic stones, and it only works once."
A woman behind him, wearing dark red leather armor, clicked her tongue impatiently. "Isu, why are you wasting your breath? Just kill him and be done with it."
"What's the rush?" The man in purple, Isu, waved his hand. "It's rare to meet someone interesting. What's wrong with a little chat?"
"Are you from another academy?" Ethan's gaze swept over the eight of them.
Isu raised an eyebrow. "Heh, not bad. You've got a brain."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ethan suddenly lunged to the left.
In that instant, the ground where he had been standing split open. A tree root as thick as a man's arm erupted from the earth, carrying dirt and stone as it whipped through the air with a vicious snap.
Crack!
The root struck the empty ground, shattering the stone floor and sending debris flying, leaving behind a trench half a meter deep.
Ethan landed three meters away, his eyes fixed on the root as it slowly retracted into the ground.
If he hadn't moved quickly, that strike would have broken his bones at the very least.
The person in green robes looked slightly surprised. "You're fast."
"I take it you don't intend to tell me?"
"Isu?" the woman in the dark red leather armor spoke again, her tone now thick with impatience.
She drew a short knife from her waist. Dark red patterns flowed along the blade, clearly marking it as no ordinary weapon.
Isu sighed. "Fine, fine. Have it your way."
He raised his right hand, purple electrical arcs beginning to dance across his fingertips. "Kid, remember this for your next life: too much curiosity gets you killed."
Ethan didn't reply.
Eight people.
How should he fight them?
A head-on clash?
Only a lunatic would do that. Naturally, he had to use his head.
The moment the thought solidified, Ethan spun around. His legs exploded with power, and he launched himself like an arrow toward the pitch-black entrance of the mine behind him.
The thirty-meter distance was covered in just a few breaths.
"Seeking your own death."
Isu's voice drifted from behind, laced with disdain.
Before the words even faded, Ethan heard the sound of the air being torn behind him.
He didn't look back, dodging to the side purely on instinct.
The first attack almost grazed his ear.
It was an ice spike as thick as a thumb. It zipped past his left ear and slammed into the ground ahead, sending stone fragments flying.
Then came the second, the third, and the fourth.
Ethan constantly shifted directions as he ran, darting left and right, his speed so great he left only afterimages.
The fifth attack was a fireball the size of a fist. It flew over his head and slammed into the edge of the mine entrance three meters ahead, exploding in a burst of flame.
Debris and dust washed over him. Ethan narrowed his eyes and didn't slow down, charging straight through the flames.
The sixth attack was a Wind Blade. It was silent and invisible, aimed straight for the center of his back.
Ethan twisted his torso violently to dodge.
The Wind Blade nearly grazed the back of his neck, shearing off a few strands of hair before silently sinking into the stone wall ahead, leaving a gash half a finger deep.
Of the remaining two cantrips, one slammed into Ethan's back but was completely negated by the Void Shield.
The other fireball struck his shoulder.
A searing heat exploded from his left shoulder. His clothing instantly carbonized and shattered, and a burning, stinging pain flared across his skin. Ethan let out a muffled grunt, using the momentum of the impact to dive straight into the mine.
Rate on N.U.
