Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 1353: Section 1354, the seventh layer
 

As he left, Lyon kept glancing back at the arena.

“The body of the bird in the cage has been split in two; will she die?” Lyon asked.

“No,” Angel replied confidently. Wicked Thoughts might have struck hard, but this is the Sky Tower, and unless one truly erases the opponent’s vitality, according to the healing standards of the Sky Tower, I estimate she’ll be up and about in no time.

“However, just because she won’t die this time doesn’t mean people don’t die in the Sky Tower’s arena. Any contestant who steps into the arena must not harbor any hope for luck.” Angel paused, saw that Lyon was looking at him, and continued, “Even if the rules of the Sky Tower encourage avoiding fatalities, rules are rigid, people are not. You can’t predict who you’ll face. What if your opponent likes to torture and kill? Within the rules, he can still find ways to kill you.”

“So if you’re going to compete in the Sky Tower, and you realize that the gap between you and your opponent is too wide, it might be wise to concede defeat.” Angel knew that Lyon had always prided himself on being a knight, and there were some inexplicable principles in the knight’s code.

For example, Angel had heard a doctrine of the Royal Knights of the Goldfinch Empire: a knight can concede defeat but must never bow his head.

In the context of the code, it might exude a steely resolve, but in reality, especially in the Wizards’ Realm, it’s practically a death wish.

Many wizards opt for strange and odd outfits, not necessarily for show. Some might indeed be deranged.

Therefore, one should bow when necessary.

Sometimes, if you bow too late, you might find your head no longer upon your neck.

“I understand the wisdom of quitting while you’re behind. I may despise old man Jon, but I agree with his words. Even Knight Swoki was persuaded by Jon from the Conservative Faction to the more liberal side. As Swoki’s apprentice, I naturally understand the concept,” Lyon assured with a smile.

Angel nodded; he had made the Beginner’s Suit for Lyon with this in mind: if worst came to worst, the suit’s effects could buy a second or two to concede defeat.

“Which match shall we go to next?” Lyon’s eyes still sparkled with excitement. Though the match had ended too quickly, he didn’t find it dull because it had given him a glimpse into a higher level of combat.

Such a spectacle might not be of practical help to the current Lyon, but it could be envisioned as a goal, spurring him to move in that direction.

Angel said, “Let’s head to the seventh floor of the Sky Tower first.”

In reality, from the third to the tenth levels, the competitors’ skills generally ranged from Second Level Apprentices to Third Level Apprentices. It wasn’t until past the tenth level that Third Level Apprentices were the main force. So, the seventh level’s competition wasn’t too far off from Lyon’s level.

Fortuitously, Angel had gotten word from Glenn that Qi Li was also on the seventh floor. He could take this opportunity to meet this old friend.

Lyon naturally nodded in agreement.

Given the vastness of the tower’s interior, the easiest way for them to get to the seventh floor was through short-range teleportation.

Lyon was using a Teleportation Array for the first time and was full of curiosity about its principles and effects, especially the shimmering patterns, which he couldn’t stop looking at. Even after they had reached the seventh floor, he kept looking back at the Teleportation Array.

Just as Lyon looked back at the Teleportation Array again, he saw a familiar figure.

Lyon frowned and said, “I think I saw Glenn. Did he come to the seventh floor as well?”

Seeing that Angel didn’t respond, Lyon asked in confusion, “Don’t you think he’s following us?”

Angel replied noncommittally, “Didn’t you already figure that out? Since we’ve ‘bumped into’ him once, we can probably ‘bump into’ him a second time.”

From his earlier interaction with Glenn, Angel hadn’t sensed any hostility or malice, but it was clear that Glenn ‘had an agenda’. As for what that agenda was, Angel didn’t know and couldn’t be bothered to investigate.

Lyon was still hesitant, but seeing Angel’s indifference, he said no more.

The number of matches on the seventh floor was far fewer than on the first, but they still densely packed the entire screen.

Angel had thought finding Qi Li’s match might take some effort, but a glance upward revealed that the next match at Arena 1 was the one he was looking for, floating across the screen was the text: “Netherfire VS Iron Will.”

‘Netherfire’ was Qi Li.

What surprised Angel was that a match at Arena 1 indicated competition between the first and second seeds. His gaze involuntarily moved to the ranking list on the right; the top seed of the seventh floor was ‘Iron Will’, followed by the one with the fastest rising momentum… ‘Netherfire’.

As the people around them were discussing this match, and the viewer count behind Arena 1 was climbing visibly, even Lyon had taken note of it.

“Is the match at Arena 1 between the top two ranked contenders? This match looks like a battle for first place. Why don’t we start with this one?” Lyon suggested, unaware at that moment that Netherfire, whom Angel came to the seventh floor to seek, was indeed Qi Li.

“It’s not a battle for first place,” Angel murmured. “This is probably Netherfire’s last match on the seventh floor.”

Once he achieved the first place position, he would directly qualify for promotion, no longer shackled by the point system required for climbing the tower. Qi Li was probably planning just that.

Angel had come to the seventh floor specifically to watch Qi Li’s match, so he naturally wouldn’t refuse Lyon’s suggestion.

When choosing a spot to watch the match, a small incident occurred.

Since they had not bought tickets for the seventh-floor viewing area, they were temporarily unable to reserve seats. By the time they purchased the tickets, the spectator seats for Arena 1 were already full.

At that moment, Glenn appeared.

“Didn’t get tickets? It just so happens I have a few friends who couldn’t make it, and they gave me their tickets. How about we go together?” Glenn smiled sincerely, but the poor excuse made Angel feel as if his IQ was being invisibly lowered if he were to continue playing along with him.

“How come you’re here to watch this match?” Angel asked, quietly taking the tickets.

“Because the Cat Lamp Witch is my idol,” Glenn replied.

“I remember, shouldn’t the King of Beasts be your idol?” Angel suddenly said.

“I also admire the King of Beasts, his experience is very touching…” Glenn seemed able to engage in any topic, but halfway through his sentence, he suddenly realized something and turned to look at Angel, “You…”

At this time, they had already arrived at the spectator passage for Arena 1.

“Let’s go in and then talk. I don’t know what you’re up to, but I just happen to have something I want to ask you about,” Angel clarified bluntly.

With the King of Beasts still in the distant Barbarian Cave, Glenn knew his acting had been seen through when Angel mentioned him. He felt somewhat uneasy, but still nodded, “Okay.”

Angel, unaware of what was going through Glenn’s mind, would probably have scoffed at the so-called “acting” if he knew. It was even worse than his own acting when he had first entered the Wizards’ Realm and was still thin-skinned…

The spot Glenn chose was naturally good, still the best seat with an excellent view.

By then, the screen showed that there were fifteen minutes left before the match began, but the venue was already packed.

“Actually, many people are following this match closely because the Cat Lamp Witch is the only disciple of Her Excellency the Witch of Night, and the editor-in-chief of ‘Glowing City Night Talk,’ Lord Diescher, has also praised Qi Li highly. He said she’s a potential star of the Newcomers’ Tournament, on par with Jiebo, the Son of the Ocean.” Glenn was still contemplating how to deal with his cover being blown, but as soon as he arrived at the lively stadium, his irrepressible desire to share knowledge was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Glenn’s explanation was mostly deduced by Angel himself, but it was actually Lyon who really listened.

Curiously, Lyon asked, “Who are Her Excellency the Witch of Night, Lord Diescher, and that Jiebo?”

Glenn looked at Lyon, who was still unknown to him. Lyon’s question also betrayed his complete lack of common knowledge. Initially, Glenn didn’t want to answer, but seeing Angel’s attitude towards him, they seemed to be more than mere acquaintances. With that thought, Glenn reluctantly shared a bit of information.

After briefly introducing these people, Glenn was prepared to continue sharing the information he had heard with Angel.

However, at that moment, Lyon asked, “Why do you keep saying Cat Lamp Witch? Isn’t her nickname ‘Underworld Fire’?”

No need for Glenn to answer—Lyon understood soon enough because, as the countdown on the screen reached ten minutes, both contestants made their appearance.

Iron Will was a big guy wearing a newly designed, modified wizard’s robe. Even with the robe concealing him, one could see his bulkiness and strength with the naked eye.

Qi Li, on the other hand, flew into the player’s passage on a broom.

She was dressed in an old-fashioned blue and black wizard’s outfit, beautiful but with an indifferent expression. At first glance, she gave Lyon the impression of a cold-hearted witch straight out of a fairytale.

However, the bright red dancing shoes and the large red bow were quite eye-catching.

As Lyon saw Qi Li’s outfit, he finally understood why others called her ‘Cat Lamp Witch’—her broom handle was adorned with a hand-held oil lamp, and a small black cat was perched at the front end of the broom.

Qi Li’s entrance triggered waves of cheers from the stands.

Yet, Qi Li showed no expression in response to the audience’s cheers—indeed, from the moment she appeared until she stood in place, she didn’t bother to look directly at the people around her, including Iron Will, who she was about to face.

But the less Qi Li interacted, the more popular she became.

Perhaps it was a kind of paradoxical and masochistic psychology.