As Grayson's shout of surrender rang out, the violently flaring magical light around them finally subsided.

  Grayson panted heavily, cold sweat covering his forehead. He truly could not hold on any longer.

  That brief clash had already drained all of his magic. If he had not surrendered in time, continuing to fight might have cost him his life.

  "Allen, I surrender. I surrender completely."

  "These things, take whatever you like. Consider it my apology to you."

  Grayson hurriedly took out the resources he was carrying and laid them out on the ground.

  Allen slowly descended from midair, his feet landing firmly on the ground. His gaze swept calmly over the resources as he asked,"I have no interest in these. Have you seen Kaelor?"

  Hearing this, Grayson was clearly stunned for a moment, then realization dawned on him. So Allen had not joined this resource battle to seize magical resources at all, but to settle a personal grudge.

  Although he did not know what deep hatred lay between Allen and Kaelor, Grayson was deeply impressed by Allen's courage.

  Kaelor's background and strength were among the very top in all of Aetherlan City, yet Allen dared to openly seek revenge against him.

  Grayson advised,"Allen, I suggest you find a place to hide first. Do not go looking for Kaelor so easily."

  "That Kaelor, although he is the son of the governor of Aetherlan City and usually acts arrogantly, looking like a spoiled noble who only relies on his family's influence…"

  "He is not like those other spoiled nobles who forcibly raise their levels with magic potions."

  "Among the participating apprentices of our Luminara Magic Academy, his magic level is easily within the top ten, and his combat ability is extremely strong."

  "Do not be fooled by how flashy and arrogant he usually is into thinking he has no real skill."

  "If you truly have a grievance with him, I think it would be better for you to endure it for now. Wait until your magic level improves before seeking revenge. It would not be too late then."

  Hearing this, Allen gently shook his head. He did not take Grayson's advice to heart. Instead, he asked again,"From what you are saying, it sounds like you have seen him?"

  Grayson quickly shook his head and answered honestly,"No, I have not seen Kaelor."

  "But I saw Marius earlier. He is Kaelor's most capable aide and always stays by his side. He should know Kaelor's exact location."

  As he spoke, Grayson extended his finger and pointed in a direction."Over there. I just saw him head that way."

  Allen followed the direction of Grayson's finger with his gaze. At this moment, the fog on the battlefield had still not completely dissipated.

  Layer upon layer of mist blocked his view, revealing only the outlines of dense trees.

  But he did not doubt Grayson's words. He said to him,"Thank you."

  With that, Allen did not linger for even a moment. His figure flashed, turning into a swift gust of wind as he charged rapidly in the direction Grayson had indicated.

  Grayson stared in astonishment at Allen's departing back, the words at the tip of his tongue swallowed back down.

  He had wanted to warn Allen again not to be so impulsive.

  Although Allen could easily defeat him, Marius was different, not to mention Kaelor.

  That Marius, though also a Ninth-tier Senior Mage like himself, came from a wealthy family.

  He was equipped with all kinds of defensive and offensive items, something Grayson could not compare to at all.

  Marius had long since hired a First-tier Archmage in advance, along with four Ninth-tier Senior Mages.

  No matter how extraordinary Allen's talent or formidable his strength, there was no way he could face a First-tier Archmage and four Ninth-tier Senior Mages at the same time all by himself.

  It was not just Grayson who thought this. Even the people on the viewing platform could not help shaking their heads as they watched Allen charge in the direction of Marius.

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  "Allen is too reckless!"

  "Marius himself might be manageable, but the guards he hired are no joke!"

  "The four Ninth-tier Senior Mages, their talents are quite good. It's just that they come from ordinary backgrounds, which is why they joined Marius's guard team to earn resources."

  "Never mind those four Ninth-tier Senior Mages, even that Archmage alone could easily crush Allen!"

  "An Archmage versus a Fifth-tier Senior Mage. Allen has no chance. This is basically a suicide mission!"

  Berton listened to the discussions around him, and his brow tightened.

  His apprentice had indeed proven his talent, dispelling the rumors of being a Max-Level Trash, and greatly boosting Berton's reputation.

  But his temperament still left much to be desired. He was far too impatient and stubborn.

  Even geniuses need time to grow. They must learn restraint and understand how to judge situations.

  Knowing full well that he was outmatched, yet insisting on advancing anyway was not bravery. It was sheer foolishness.

  Watching Allen's figure on the crystal mirror grow ever closer to Marius and his guards, Berton felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

  He knew the resource battlefield had clear rules forbidding apprentices from intentionally killing one another.

  But reasonable harm was allowed. As long as lives were not taken, it was not considered a violation.

  If Allen were to lose, given Marius's arrogant and vengeful nature, he would almost certainly not stop easily.

  He would seize the opportunity to humiliate Allen harshly, and might even go too far, damaging Allen's magic core and affecting his future as a mage.

  If Berton intervened, he would break the academy's rules and bring shame to Luminara Magic Academy.

  But if he did not intervene, his only core apprentice might be gravely injured, perhaps even permanently crippled and unable to use magic again.

  Berton watched the crystal mirror showing Allen intently, fists clenched tightly, silently praying for a miracle.

  The lords of Aetherlan City standing nearby all shook their heads as they watched.

  Everyone acknowledged Allen's talent, but at this moment, all of them agreed that his temperament was far too poor. He was reckless and stubborn, lacking the composure needed to become a top-tier powerhouse.

  Many of the lords had originally been considering approaching Allen after the resource battle, hoping to recruit him into their families to strengthen their houses. But now, everyone silently abandoned that idea.

  After all, a genius who cannot grow is less valuable than someone of slightly lesser talent but steady temperament.

  Those who are too reckless and stubborn rarely last long. They have no future and are not worth the effort to recruit.

  ...

  Allen, meanwhile, had no idea that the people on the viewing platform were discussing him, or that Berton was worried.

  At this moment, all of his attention was focused on tracking Marius, carefully searching in the direction Grayson had indicated.

  Before long, a sharp, piercing string of shouts and curses reached Allen's ears. It seemed to be Marius himself.

  Marius was standing in front of a patch of jagged, rock strewn ground, his expression arrogant and overbearing.

  At his feet lay a young man clutching his chest, his body covered in wounds.

  Blood seeped from the corner of the man's mouth, yet his eyes were locked onto Marius, burning with fury. He clenched his teeth and refused to bow his head.

  "Where is that swagger of yours now?" Marius sneered, his tone dripping with contempt as he looked down at the man beneath his feet."Why are you not so arrogant anymore?"

  "You and your sister dared to offend me and still had the nerve to enter the resource battle. You truly have no idea what death looks like."

  "So what if I slapped her a couple of times? Even if I crippled her, you would have to endure it. You would have to lower your head and behave."

  A cruel, cold smile hung at the corner of Marius's mouth as he slowly bent down, his words full of humiliation.

  "You know you cannot escape, so now you want to fight me to the death?"

  "Are you even worthy?"

  "That I took a liking to your sister and was willing to let her stay by my side as my maid is her good fortune."

  "And you still dare to be dissatisfied? You still dare to resist?"

  "Let me tell you, being allowed to stay in Luminara Magic Academy is already the good luck of you lowly people."

  "Dare to leave the academy on your own, dare to oppose me, and I will let you see that my power in Aetherlan City is not something you can provoke."

  As he spoke, a flash of viciousness crossed Marius's eyes. He suddenly lifted his foot and stomped hard onto the wound in the man's chest, the force nearly enough to crush his ribs.

  "Ah!" The man let out a piercing scream of pain, his entire body trembling violently. Yet he still stared at Marius, gathering all his strength as he grit his teeth and shouted back.

  "Marius! If you have any guts, fight me one on one! Hiding behind these people and bullying others with numbers, what kind of ability is that?"

  The four guards beside Marius all had their expressions darken, a trace of humiliation flashing in their eyes.

  They were hired by Marius, but they were still people with dignity. No one could feel good hearing that.

  One of them, a burly man, stepped forward and slightly bowed to the man on the ground.

  "Hart, I am sorry. We are just doing this for the pay, carrying out what we were hired to do."

  "Just apologize to Marius, admit your fault, and this will all pass…"

  Hart on the ground gave the guard a look of disdain, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth as he spoke.

  "To hell with your doing it for the pay. If your own sister were being bullied and humiliated by this beast every day, would you go and apologize to him?"

  "He leaves no way out for me and my sister, so none of us will live. At worst, we will all die together. Even if I die, I will never bow my head to this beast."

  The guard clenched his fist, but in the end said nothing.

  Hearing Hart's curses, Marius not only did not get angry, but instead showed an even more cruel smile.

  "None of you will live? You lowly people think your worthless lives are fit to say such words to me?"

  "Your lives are worthy of being compared to mine?"

  As his words fell, Marius lifted his foot again and stomped down hard on Hart's wound, the force increasing, the viciousness in his eyes growing ever stronger.

  Hart let out a heart rending scream, his body twitching uncontrollably as his consciousness began to fade.

  Marius bent down, bringing his mouth close to Hart's ear, his voice cold and vicious.

  "Letting your sister become my maid, is that such a humiliation for her?"

  "I will teach you a proper lesson, so you will know what happens when you offend me."