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nHearing Howard’s words, the group of upperclassmen immediately burst into an uproar.

n“Well, look at that, have you Dougton guys turned into cowards?”

n“I remember it was you who started this arena battle, so why are you thinking of retreating now after losing just one match?”

nThe students were not fools; they could clearly see the retreating intent in the Dougton students and immediately called out.

n“Go on, he’s just a first-year newbie. You’ve awakened way earlier than him, how can you not have a bit of courage?”

n“If I weren’t a level lower than you, I’d go up there myself!”

nMany of the onlookers shouted out immediately.

nFor a moment, the faces of Dougton and his peers turned deathly pale.

nThey knew that if they ran away now, under the watchful eyes of everyone, they would forever carry the stigma of being cowards.

nHowever, when they looked up and saw Howard’s beaming smile, they felt even less sure of themselves.

nThis is the nature of the weak!

nRealizing this, Howard couldn’t help but laugh and say, “I’m not some devil, you know. How about this, you can all come at me together!”

n“Holy **, what an audacious freshman.”

n“This newbie has the right to be. I remember Matthru was not weak, should be around level 40, which is not too shabby in the whole academy. And to think, he got knocked out by Howard straight away.”

n“Can a freshman really have such strength?”

n“Can a freshman really have such strength?”

n“Outrageous! In my opinion, this newbie must be a disciple from a major family who had awakened long ago, just reporting to the academy this year.”

n“That’s possible.”

n“One against many, eh? Now, this is going to be thrilling! Quick, someone go call more people, this fight is bound to be spectacular!”

nAll the students were stirred up with excitement.

nInitially, they were all just there for the spectacle, convinced that a freshman could never beat a senior.

nWho could have guessed that Howard would deliver such a stunning surprise? Thus, they called over friends, eager to summon more spectators.

nThe name Howard was also etched into their memories.

nDougton and his peers exchanged glances, then, with gritted teeth, they climbed onto the stage, Dougton himself asserting, “Howard, don’t get too arrogant!”

n“Arrogant?” Howard retorted coldly, “What a joke. When have I ever been arrogant? Wasn’t it you who provoked our first-year students first?”

n“In the past few days when I wasn’t at the academy, you targeted the freshmen, took advantage of our absence, set up this stage, and bullied the younger ones. Now that I’ve returned to respond to the challenge, how has it become my arrogance?”

n“Could it be that as seniors, you have the right to twist truth and falsify right and wrong?”

nAt the end of his speech, Dougton and his companions found themselves breathless.

nThe truth was, they had indeed instigated the conflict, and hence, they had no grounds for rebuttal.

n“Enough, let’s let strength do the talking. Come on, show me what you’ve got!”

nHoward looked towards the mentor and said with a light chuckle, “Mentor, as a magus, I should maintain some distance, right?”

n“…”

nAt this, the mentor’s mouth twitched involuntarily.

nGiven those slaps you just dealt, and that kick, no one would believe you’re a magus!

nHowever, Howard was indeed a magus, and the mentor wasn’t going to say otherwise; he was only invited to act as a witness.

nAs the countdown sounded once more, Dougton and his companions exchanged a determined glance, their resolve hardened. They waited for the countdown to finish, and then they all launched their attacks on Howard simultaneously.

nFeathered arrows whistled through the air, and a figure wielding a long sword dashed rapidly towards Howard.

nHe intended to execute a Charge skill once within range.

nHowever, before the warrior could initiate his Charge, Howard swung the Soul Nurturer, and a Gravity spell blossomed forth.

nHum —

nAn eerie force erupted, like a mountain descending, immediately crushing the warrior onto the stage, pinning him down, unable to move, his breathing becoming labored.

nAt the same time, a shield formed from MP materialized beside Howard, deflecting the incoming arrows.

n“Holy **, he really is a magus!”

n“This magus is seriously fierce.”

nThose students who didn’t know Howard were astounded at the display of a standard magical skill.

nThere was no helping it; Howard’s performance was simply too terrifying.

n“Hmph, I knew you had a shield! Take my Armor-Piercing Arrow!”

nDougton drew his bow, nocking an arrow that glowed with a sinister milky radiance at its tip.

nWhoosh —

nIn the next instant, the arrow tore through the air, hurtling towards Howard at a blistering speed.

nBehind Dougton, another magus was waving a wand, chanting incantations.

nSeeing this, Howard wasn’t about to give them any chances. He swung the Soul Nurturer, and almost before the Armor-Piercing Arrow could reach him, his figure suddenly became ethereal.

nThe Blink skill was unleashed!

nAfter attending theoretical classes, Howard had come to understand the role of Arcane Techniques, and coupled with his powerful spirit, his skill execution was especially precise.

nWhen he reappeared, he was startlingly right beside the enemy magus.

nThe Soul Nurturer loomed large in the magus’s pupils before crashing down on his head with ferocity.

nWith Howard’s immense strength, the blow knocked the magus unconscious immediately, sending him collapsing to the ground.

n“Holy crap!”

nThis gave Dougton quite the shock, prompting him to quickly leap back, drawing his bowstring once more. A bluish-white glow emanated, and dozens of arrows were fired in rapid succession, enveloping the area where Howard stood.

nIt was the basic skill of an archer, Rapid Shoot!

nIt had to be said, Dougton and his group had some skill, at least their reaction times weren’t slow.

nUnfortunately for them, Howard was shielded by an MP shield, making the arrows feel like mere tickles upon impact.

nThe Blink skill was deployed once again, replenishing Howard’s MP shield while he materialized beside Dougton.

nBefore Dougton could counter, Howard had already grasped Dougton’s wrist with a fierce pull.

nBeing an archer with inherently less strength, Dougton was immediately off-balance from Howard’s tug, stumbling towards him.

nThe next moment, Howard delivered a knee strike, hitting Dougton squarely in the abdomen.

nIn reality, Howard had restrained himself; a direct hit to the chest could have been lethal.

nThe human heart is exceedingly fragile.

nThe abdomen, on the other hand, is relatively soft, able to absorb much of the impact.

nIt would result in nothing more than Dougton experiencing pain for a while.

nAt the impact, Dougton’s face instantly turned ghostly pale, sweat cascading down his forehead.

nThe intense pain left him unable to utter a sound, his body curled up like a shrimp.

nThis scene made countless students inhale sharply in shock.

nIn less than ten seconds, Howard, a newcomer, had subdued three seniors. It was truly astonishing.

nOne knocked out by a wand, another immobilized by blows, and yet another warrior was gasping for breath under the weight of a Gravity spell.

nEven after the duration of the Gravity spell had ended, and the warrior managed to stand, he was panting heavily, clearly lacking any capacity to continue the fight.

nWhen Howard turned to look at that warrior, he even fell flat on the ground with a “thump,” pretending to still be unconscious.

nThis scene sent a wave of cheers among the first-year students.

nAbby, Judy, and Howard’s two roommates were equally overjoyed.

nHoward, holding Dougton by the collar, gently patted his cheek and said with a light chuckle, “We don’t seem to have any personal grievances, do we?”

nAt this, Dougton hastily shook his head.

n“So why provoke my fellow first-years, and why provoke me?”

nHoward asked outright. Alas, Dougton was in too much pain to muster a reply to his question.

nJust then, nearby the field, another voice rang out, “Fantastic, big sis, you’ve finally arrived!”

n“Glyn’s here too!”

n“Boss Sarah, please make your move quickly!”

nExclamations continued to rise, turning Howard and many other students’ gazes in that direction.

nSuddenly, a group of figures appeared, moving with remarkable speed toward the scene. 𝘪.𝘤𝑜𝘮

nLeading them was none other than Caitlin!

nAt her side were Glyn and Aisha, and two unfamiliar faces whose status seemed even higher than Glyn’s.

nIndeed, the higher-level students were aware that it was Matthru and Dougton who had instigated the matter, but as upperclassmen, they weren’t inclined to see a newcomer take down one of their own.

nHence, they had urged Caitlin and her companions to intervene.

nLittle did they know of Caitlin’s sentiments towards Howard.

nSwiftly arriving below the stage, Caitlin scanned the area and seeing that Howard was unharmed, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

n“Dougton, what are you playing at? As seniors, you should be looking after the newcomers, not causing trouble,” Caitlin reprimanded.

nAlmost the moment her words fell, all the upperclassmen froze, then their eyes widened in shock, sizing up Caitlin with surprise.

nEven those by her side were no exception!

nNormally, the unwritten rule of seniors bullying juniors was present in every academy. Although it was not encouraged, it was never actively stopped.

nEspecially considering that Caitlin herself had once bullied new students!

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