Chen Feng stared coldly at the two Magicians and one Assassin, asking with an icy tone, "Who are you?"
A Magician in a light gray robe said grimly, "You have offended someone you shouldn't have! Therefore, you must die today!"
Chen Feng had intended to ask who, but then immediately understood—it must be Jimmy. Besides the lord’s son, who else could afford to hire a ninth-rank Assassin and two ninth-rank Magicians! Assassins specialized in tracking and assassination; it seemed that even though he had discarded his black robe, he was easily recognized by the enemy!
"Die?" Chen Feng covered his forehead with his right hand, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world, and began to laugh out loud: "Hahahaha..."
After the dark energy vortex began to churn within him, whenever he reached the extreme of anger or experienced overly intense emotions, he felt an urge to burst into loud laughter!
The rampant laughter echoed through the snow forest, startling the wild birds nearby.
The two Magicians exchanged glances. One said, "Al, so this is the guy you were talking about. I don't think you'll need me; you can handle him by yourself!"
The Magician named Al nodded, pointed at the injured Assassin on the ground, and said, "Take care of Sammy. Wait until I finish him off, and then we'll head back together!"
"Mhm, sounds good. Let's make it quick; the woman I found yesterday is freshly cleaned and waiting for me!" the other Magician remarked.
"Oh, you!" Al shook his head, knowing his partner's lechery was infamous. Just yesterday, he had found some girl somewhere, and she was exceptionally seductive—her round, soft chest and water-snake slim waist made even Al envious! Hearing this now, he chuckled and said, "With how unrestrained you are, you’ll end up dying on a woman’s stomach sooner or later!"
"Haha..." The Magician laughed heartily, "To die upon a woman's stomach is also a form of pleasure!"
Al gave him a helpless look, sighing inwardly, then turned back toward the red-haired youth standing not far in front of him. "You don't look old, so dying now is a pity, but I will leave you an intact corpse!"
Saying this, he raised the magic staff in his hand, pointed a finger at the air, and rapidly condensed a sphere of water!
The water sphere grew larger and larger, floating in the air like a transparent crystal. While this water ball looked exquisitely clear and incomparably beautiful, the power contained within it was certainly not to be underestimated, for it would detonate the instant it struck its target!
Tier Three Magic—Explosive Water Orb!
From the moment Al raised his staff until the water sphere formed in the air, it took less than three seconds!
A formal ninth-rank Magician typically required over ten seconds to cast Tier Three Magic, and that was assuming the incantation was recited aloud. Yet, by silently reciting the spell, he had only taken under three seconds!
He was quite satisfied with this casting speed!
As long as this Explosive Water Orb struck the red-haired youth, the problem would be solved!
He had just received a message from Jimmy instructing him to follow the Assassin Sammy and kill the expert in the black robe, with a reward of 50,000 gold coins!
Hearing such a high bounty made him jump in shock. Someone priced this high had to be at least a Fighter Master level individual; he originally didn't want to take the mission, as no one would joke about their own life.
Despite having reached the peak of a formal ninth-rank Magician, as long as he hadn't attained the Archmage realm, he would never be a match for a Fighter Master!
But the massive bounty presented before him made his heart flutter, so he finally brought along his companion, another ninth-rank Magician named Sandra! Two peak ninth-rank Magicians on the verge of breakthrough—even if they couldn't defeat a Fighter Master, they could at least ensure a safe escape, right?
It was precisely because of this thought that he came with confidence. Who would have thought that upon meeting the supposed man in the black robe, he would find the opponent so young, and... appearing to be merely at the level of a third-rank Fighter!
Although the opponent had severely injured the ninth-rank Assassin earlier, he still refused to believe that such a young boy could possess strength beyond the sixth rank!
An Assassin, while ghost-like and hard to guard against, had very weak attack power and defense. A ninth-rank Assassin, without concealment, facing a fifth-rank Fighter, the Assassin would be the one to die in a duel!
However, the Assassin's concealment ability was formidable; once hidden, the power unleashed could be terrifying!
It seemed Sammy must have been too eager in his attack and was discovered before he could manage his stealth, resulting in severe injury!
The Explosive Water Orb grew larger in the air, accumulating more and more power. Al seemed to see a pile of gold coins right in front of him, and his eyes shone with excitement.
Just as he was lost in fantasy, a chilling voice suddenly sounded near his ear: "It looks like you really enjoy playing with water!"
Al violently spun his body around. Due to the exertion, his lower back twinged slightly. The red-haired youth, who should have been standing twenty meters across from him, had inexplicably appeared behind him. His indifferent eyes held not a trace of emotion, and his raised right hand cupped a cluster of azure flames!
When a Magician is engaged in close combat by a Fighter, it is a death sentence. He didn't know when the red-haired youth had gotten so close, but being this near, even if the Explosive Water Orb struck the opponent, his own fragile Magician body would surely be affected by the blast.
In a panic, he leaped backward and immediately reinforced his front with a Tier Two Magic Shield spell!
While water magic provided less inherent protection than earth magic, it was extremely resilient and quite effective against close-range attacks. A Tier Two Magic Shield could not be broken even by the full force of a sixth-rank Fighter's strike!
After activating the Water Shield, Al let out a sigh of relief. He tapped his magic staff lightly, and the Explosive Water Orb hissed toward the red-haired youth.
"BOOM!"
With a deafening sound, Al was sent flying backward twenty meters by the powerful impact of the explosion, but because he had cast the Water Shield, his body sustained no real damage.
Surely, this guy is dead now! Al thought, looking at the spot where the Explosive Water Orb had struck. He saw a massive circular crater, three meters deep and ten meters in diameter, carved into the snow. The inside was flat and smooth, the rocks crushed into powder by the water pressure. Under such destructive force, even a third-rank Magical Beast would have been blasted into mincemeat!
Al relaxed, his heart no longer pounding; he hadn't expected this mission to be so easy! The 50,000 gold coins were finally his!
However, before he could celebrate, he heard the anxious shout of his friend Sandra from a distance!
"Watch out!" Immediately following the cry, a hurried bolt of magic shot toward his side!
"Escape? Where to!"
Chen Feng's icy words rang out. He maintained his previous posture, as if Al's cast Tier Three Magic had had no effect on him whatsoever!
"Burst!" Chen Feng suddenly clenched the five fingers of his open hand, and the flame in his grasp shattered inward.
Al was still wondering if the opponent was merely posturing when he felt a searing pain in his back, and a massive wave of heat washed over him. His entire body was instantly enveloped in azure flame!
"Aaaah!" With a tragic scream, Al was instantly burned to ashes!