Chapter 147: Change of Plans

And yet, the expression that formed on his face was telling a completely different story.

Up until this moment, Lucian’s plan was simple: enter the massive arena, find the instructor, and use their brains. Why start a chaotic fight when you could just trap the instructor in a web of psychological schemes and simply take the badge? He was half right.

Well, the arena was indeed giant, and the instructor waiting inside was exactly who he had anticipated.

however, the sheer brutality of the scene playing out in front of him... shattered all of his perfectly laid plans.

Right in the center of the five hundred-meter-wide colosseum arena stood Magnus — the bulky Instructor of the Sovereign Monolith who was effortlessly holding a female student up by her neck. Surrounding him was what looked like a translucent green wall — a high-tier barrier.

The whole arena was littered with bodies. Students were scattered everywhere. Some were dragging themselves to the corners, groaning as they clutched their shattered ribs. Others were sobbing quietly on the sidelines, staring at arms bent at unnatural angles.

Almost twenty to thirty students had already been beaten so brutally that they wouldn’t even be able to stand up for the next few hours, let alone fight.

The whole group just stood there, stunned.

Looking at the pristine armor on his chest and the flawless glamour on his face, it was crystal clear that not a single student had been able to even scratch him so far.

The whole team was in shock. They immediately took their stances, ready to lunge the exact second their leader gave the order. However, an entirely different race was running inside Lucian’s mind. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

System, appraise him and tell me what the percentage chance is that he will actually listen to me.

[ Target Appraised ]

Name: Magnus Ashford

Age: 42

Combat Power: 92,000

Mana Stage: True

Physical Strength: SS

Magical Aptitude: A+

Special Attributes: [High Regeneration], [Absolute Counter], [knuckle master]

[ Analysis complete. There is an almost 80% chance that he has absolutely no interest in talking. ]

Fuck my life.

"Damn it, this is absolute shit, he muttered under his breath, SS physical strength? This ogre is as strong as Knight Commander Gideon in physical strenght?."

He glanced over his shoulder.

No, Even with Elira, Sera, and Lyria fighting at full strength, getting the badge from this guy won’t be easy. And I don’t have enough mana to use Zero Domain more than once. There’s no other choice. We’ll have to rely on hand-to-hand combat.

System, how many times can I use Overdrive?

[ I strongly suggest capping Overdrive at 3 uses, unless you enjoy the feeling of catastrophic mana depletion. Currently, you know right that you are sitting on a measly 17,000 mana. Though I can give you one advice: hoarding 30,000 FP with that you can buy Mana Stones — 2,000 FP for 2,000 Mana. It will give you an advantage using dark skills, so choose wisely you cucumber. ]

[ Also, a free piece of advice: if you had bothered to complete your missions last month instead of just training, I would have given you these for free. Have fun paying retail price. ]

Screw you man... quickly buy 3 mana stones.

Three mana stones materialized in his hand, and he crushed them instantly.

[ Now you can use Overdrive 4 times. Based on my suggestion, it will cost around 1k mana each time you use it, and you will still have plenty left... ]

Next to him, Elira tilted her head slightly, her icy eyes narrowing as she tried to read the subtle micro-expressions on his completely blank face.

What happened to him now? she wondered. Then, a sudden, proud realization sparked in her mind. Ah. I see. This is exactly the moment where a good wife is supposed to step up and motivate her husband. Yes, it is the perfect time.

Behind her, Kaelen had also noticed Lucian standing completely silent for so long. However, unlike Elira, he assumed that their leader was simply too terrified to even move.

Before a cowardly remark could leave from his mouth, Elira stepped close, her voice a chillingly calm whisper. "Just point to where you want him cut, darling."

Sera also offered her motivation. "Yeah, let’s have a real fight! I am ready to show off my training."

Lyria stayed quiet, just trying to read Lucian from behind.

What is this guy thinking now?

Just then, Magnus’s eyes landed on them.

"Huh... What a surprise. More of my fresh little mints have arrived," Magnus grinned, looking as though he was getting incredibly bored anyway. He casually tossed the beaten student in his grip to the side and took a step forward.

"Alright everyone, listen... Sera and I will take close combat, Elira will cover long-range attacks... and Lyria, Kaelen, and Zeri—"

He glanced toward where Zeri had been standing, but... the spot was empty. She was already gone.

"Damn it... where is she?"

Kaelen, his face completely pale with terror, shakily pointed a finger forward.

As soon as Lucian followed his gaze, he saw Zeri already lunging through the air. Jumping directly at Magnus, she extended her beastly claws, striking straight against a shimmering barrier surrounding the instructor.

"Aren’t you an impatient little kitten.." Magnus muttered.

"Screw the formation! Move, NOW!" Lucian roared. Nobody shouted back. They just exploded forward, weapons drawn.

Lucian and Sera both dashed forward at a blistering speed. Mid-sprint, Lucian’s crackling electric bat materialized in his grip, while Sera had already drawn her molten sword.

Up ahead, Zeri was fiercely striking Magnus’s barrier in a flurry of swipes, sending sparks flying everywhere in response Magnus just let out a tired sigh.

I thought there would be some stronger bugs, though how disappointing now I am really getting tired of waiting around for the past few hours.

"Let’s just end this quickly..."

He suddenly disabled his barrier.

Lunging forward, Zeri was just a split-second away from landing her claws right on his face, and he moved which didn’t catch Zeri’s attention.

Grabbing both of her hands, Magnus threw her to the side.

"Now this will be fun."

He narrowed his eyes, watching Sera and Lucian rushing toward him from the front...