Chapter 48
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Though everyone kept telling themselves that Matthew would never lose since he was Coleman’s student, Linda’s way of breaking the Enchantment was something they’d never seen before.
None of them had ever seen anyone handle a charm right in their hands like that.
Even Craig hadn’t seen anything like it, but the four of them all played it cool.
Craig knew that Linda was keeping a low profile, so he wasn’t about to let on that he had no clue how Linda did it.
He wanted to keep those people guessing.
Even Homer and his group were starting to second–guess themselves.
Someone grumbled, “Matthew’s just too much of a gentleman. Why’d he let that girl go first? If he’d cracked it, she would even have a shot.”
The others didn’t say it out loud, but they were all thinking the same thing.
Linda watched from the sidelines, her eyes cold and indifferent.
She didn’t believe for a second that Matthew would lose. His Enchantment skills were taught by Coleman. If a simple third- tier ward could trip him up, then he would not have achieved everything he had so far.
In just a moment, the barrier unraveled.
Everyone heard the door unlock with a sharp click.
Homer and the others were ecstatic. “It’s open!”
Homer and his crew were so hyped. They were practically ready to rush over to Rafael and start cheering and clapping right then and there.
Matthew turned to Linda, his face still lit up with the thrill of cracking the Enchantment, almost as if he was waiting for her praise.
Without thinking, he blurted out, “Linda, look…”
But in the next instant, his eyes met Linda’s.
Then, silence swept through the crowd.
That was when Matthew snapped back to reality.
‘Wait, she’s not Linda,‘ he thought.
Rafael and Craig darted in front of Linda, cutting her off. “What’s this? Trying to snatch her away?”
Rafael put on a theatrical voice and called out loudly, “I’ve said it before. Being her friend isn’t a job just anyone can take.”
Homer and his crew were so mad that their faces turned blue.
Homer said, “Craig just thought Linda from the High Sanctum of Archmagi was here. You really think he was talking to your friend?
“Linda hit the Gilded Phaseat fifteen. On the other hand, your precious friend…”
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That look they gave was enough to piss anyone off.
Rafael gritted his teeth, trying to keep his cool.
He told himself, ‘I have to endure this. Wait, I can’t do it anymore!
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But before he could explode, Laura darted past him. She sent the guy flying off the cliff with a single punch. If he hadn’t managed to catch himself with his sword just in time, he’d be toast.
Laura snapped, “Shut up.”
Everyone shut up real quick.
After all, Laura was a mage at the Late–stage of the Gilded Phase. None of them could beat her.
Linda chuckled. “Laura, don’t waste your breath on them. They’re just a bunch of losers. I couldn’t care less. Matthew, ready to start?”
Linda turned to Matthew.
She understood Matthew’s confusion and disappointment. Before Marietta arrived, Linda accompanied him through the long, tedious period of enlightenment.
She was the one who stood by Matthew as he overcame Coleman’s many trials.
She encouraged Matthew. who was like both a brother and a father to her. through his moments of doubt. In the end, she entered the Enchantment to aid his breakthrough.
She was like Matthew’s devoted admirer, watching as he became the foremost Enchantment prodigy of Azure Spire, a rising star in the cultivation world, who was widely regarded as Azure Spire’s successor.
But in the end, Matthew shoved her straight into the darkness.
It had been ten years.
Linda was only seventeen at that moment. If she didn’t count her previous life, nearly two–thirds of her years had been spent at the High Sanctum of Archmagi.
She was deeply dependent on them.
So when it all fell apart, the hurt went bone–deep, and the despair was all–consuming.
Matthew snapped back to reality, his voice awkward. “We solved it at almost the same moment. Guess it’s a tie.”
“So what do we do now?” Homer and his crew started to worry.
Matthew looked at Linda. “I’ve got a suggestion. How about we team up and break the Enchantment together?”
“No wayl” Rafael and Craig chorused together.
Laura whipped around, glaring at Matthew like he was some kind of thief, and yanked Linda behind her, as if she thought Matthew was about to snatch her away.
Matthew frowned.
He thought, “The way they’re looking at me is so weird.’
Homer and his crew jeered, “Matthew hasn’t even objected yet,
why are you guys butting in?”
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Rafael and Craig’s faces turned grim.
They were dead set against letting Matthew have any alone time with Linda.
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Linda watched the way they acted, a little dazed at first. But when she finally understood, she didn’t quite know what to do with herself. Deep down, she felt a kind of warmth she hadn’t felt in forever.
She gently reassured them, “Laura, since Matthew is making the suggestion, let’s at least hear him out. Now that the door’s open, how are we dividing the spoils?”
Matthew pressed his lips together. “We’ll split it based on our contribution in breaking the Enchantment.”
“So, Matthew, you want me to watch out for you trying to snatch my credit while we’re cracking the Enchantment?” Linda shot back.
Matthew’s eyes darkened as he thought, ‘She really isn’t Linda. Linda would never argue with me like this.
He said, “I’m not the kind of guy who schemes behind people’s backs.”
Linda replied coolly, “Fine. I’m not here to waste time. Let’s both try at the same time. Whoever cracks it first gets it.”
“So what you’re saying is…” Matthew frowned.
That doesn’t sound like teaming up at all,’ he thought.
“We each do our own thing,” Linda said.
With that, Linda stepped up first.
Matthew’s face changed. He rushed over and threw out an arm to stop her, meaning to warn her that the third–tier restriction wasn’t some walk in the park.
But Linda was lightning–fast, brushing his hand aside, her eyes icy. “Don’t touch me.”
Matthew’s hand hung awkwardly in the air. His eyes flashed with anger. “You…”
He declared, “Alright, let’s see what we got.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he started going forward.
Linda’s eyes grew cold and determined as she stepped forward, but Matthew spun around, trying to block her way..
She slipped past him with ease and unleashed a Water Arrow Spell, sending a burst of water bolts crashing into the door of the Hermit’s Sanctum.
The third–tier restriction was instantly triggered.
The entire ward erupted outward, blanketing the whole cliff in its power.
Matthew’s face was stormy. “So winning’s all that matters to you? You don’t care who gets caught in the crossfire.”
Linda shot back, “Right back at you.”
The restriction flared to life. The tier 4 Enchantment was way nastier than the third–tier single–element one. A sea of fire surged in from both sides, and Homer and his crew totally freaked out.
“Channel your mana for defense now!” Homer yelled.
Craig and Rafael obediently ducked behind Laura, counting on her mana to shield them from the sea of flames.
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“Laura’s the best,” Craig said.
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Matthew stared down Linda as flames roared all around them, but neither one budged an inch. The only way to break the Enchantment was right there at the door.
They only had one shot. Whoever backed off would lose.
Matthew threw a punch, and Linda blocked it and countered. The two of them went back and forth at the doorway, trading over a dozen moves in no time.
Matthew couldn’t believe that Linda ould keep up with him for so many rounds since she was only in mana–Stoking Phase.
“Are you hiding your true power?” Matthew demanded.
Linda replied coldly, “Whether I am or not, what difference does it make?”
Matthew focused his mana, sending an overwhelming force crashing into Linda and knocking her back.
Not even sparing her a glance, he darted straight for the beast’s head at the entrance of the Hermit’s Sanctum, channeling his mana into it.
But Linda wasn’t about to let him win that easily. She unleashed a Vellum Sigil, casting it straight at him.
“Bind!” she called out.
In an instant, the charms coiled around Matthew’s wrist. Linda darted forward like a swallow, slamming her palm down on the beast’s head a split second before he could reach it.
She channeled her mana into it.
Water came pouring down from everywhere, drenching the whole place in an instant.
Homer and his crew shrieked, “What the hell is it this time?”
‘Seriously? It’s like getting roasted and frozen at the same time. they thought.
Linda gave the beast’s head a hard twist. There was a loud click as another mechanism unlocked behind the Hermit’s Sanctum.
The door swung open right in front of them. Without hesitating for a second, Linda darted inside.
Matthew shouted, “You’ve got some nerve!”
Linda scoffed, “I told you. may the best one win.”
But Matthew wasn’t about to back down. He did not want to lose to a random girl whose name he didn’t even know.
Hardly a second later, he stormed in right after her.
But right after Matthew, a shadow darted in, turning into a streak of light. slipping inside. No one noticed it except Laura.
Laura thought, ‘Was that Claudio?‘
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