Chapter 153: Winning Strategy

Chapter 153: The Winning Strategy

Li Wei soared in the sky, gazing down at the molten serpent and fire elemental spirit glaring up at him from below.

His mind began to race with strategies.

A head-on clash was the worst possible choice.

He could, at full power, defeat a fire elemental once—but he couldn’t afford to unleash his full strength every time one appeared.

He didn’t have infinite mana.

Soon, Li Wei arrived at the optimal strategy.

Cower before fire elementals and fire-aligned beasts; strike fiercely against other competitors.

Play to his strengths, avoid his weaknesses.

Make full use of the volcano’s environment.

Once the winning strategy crystallized in his mind, Li Wei turned and flew swiftly down the mountainside.

The molten serpent and fire elemental, seeing Li Wei flee, immediately gave chase.

After pursuing for a while, the fire elemental suddenly shrieked—

“Gaga!”

The molten serpent halted, glaring resentfully as Li Wei vanished into the distance.

With reluctance, it wriggled back to its original territory.

No sooner had the serpent slithered into its cave and lain down than a shadow appeared outside.

Whoosh!

A small fireball shot into the magma chamber.

Boom! Molten rock splattered violently in all directions.

Startled, the serpent scrambled out, only to find Li Wei standing there.

Rage erupted within it—its entire body burst into furious flames. Without hesitation, it lunged straight at Li Wei.

Li Wei shot upward like an arrow, piercing the sky.

Not forgetting to taunt as he fled—

“Insignificant worm, if you dare, come bite me!”

Blinded by fury, the molten serpent pursued relentlessly.

Suddenly, Li Wei vanished midair.

The serpent froze, glancing around in confusion—then spotted a figure nearby.

Without thinking, it lunged forward and spewed a torrent of blazing fire.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Scorching flames surged, engulfing Nick’s silhouette.

Nick scrambled away, barely escaping.

“Damn it! Where did this second-rank magical beast come from?”

He quickly cast a counter-spell—

First-rank water magic!

“Water Surge Leap!”

A spiraling jet of water struck the molten serpent, dousing the flames across its body.

Sssss!

Water and fire clashed violently, hissing fiercely.

Thick mist filled the air—only to be instantly vaporized by the searing heat.

Within ten seconds, the serpent’s flames roared back to life.

A mere first-rank water spell couldn’t inflict serious harm.

The molten serpent despised water. After being attacked, it now fixated on Nick with hatred.

Whoosh!

Its tail lashed sideways.

Boom!

Nick’s Water Ripple Shield flared bright blue—then shattered. He was sent flying.

Midair, Nick activated his supernatural trait—“Momentum Release.”

Instant-cast second-rank water magic!

“High-Pressure Water Cannon!”

Boom!

A concentrated jet of water slammed into the molten serpent, unleashing tremendous force.

In an instant, the beast was hurled backward, soaring several meters high.

Boom! Gurgling!

It crashed heavily to the ground, flames extinguished.

Soaked and cracked, its body looked pitiful.

Even as a second-rank magical beast, it couldn’t withstand the damage of a second-rank spell—

Especially one that countered its fire affinity.

This blow? Double damage.

Nick had landed a devastating strike, yet his expression remained grim.

The High-Pressure Water Cannon was his trump card.

He never expected to be forced into using it so early in the competition.

Recharging a new second-rank spell through his “Momentum Buildup” ability would take considerable time.

At least for now, one of his ultimate weapons was spent.

And irreplaceable.

Seeing the severely wounded serpent, Nick pressed his advantage without delay.

Since he’d already burned a secret technique, he certainly wouldn’t let the opportunity slip by.

First-tier Water Magic!

"Water Bomb!"

A sphere of water shot from Nick's palm, hurtling toward the Lava Serpent.

The serpent twisted its body desperately to evade. Yet under Nick’s control, the water bomb had already locked onto its target.

No matter how frantically it writhed, it could not escape a projectile that bent through the air.

Boom!

The water bomb struck true, exploding with violent force—

but what erupted was not fire, but blinding blue light.

Shattered droplets burst outward like daggers, piercing the earth around them, leaving behind dark, smoking craters.

The Lava Serpent shrieked, rearing up violently before collapsing onto the ground, its body scarred and blistered by the blast.

Nick stepped forward, approaching the wounded beast, ready to end its life and conclude the battle.

Suddenly, a fireball materialized out of thin air—

hurtling straight at him.

Nick’s eyes widened in surprise, seemingly caught off guard.

Boom!

A flash of blue light exploded across his body.

The watery shield that had been shattered moments before now shimmered back into existence.

Nick sneered, locking eyes with Lev, who now revealed himself.

"So that’s why a second-tier magical beast appeared so suddenly—you lured it here."

"Armored man, I’ve heard you’re strong."

"But if you were truly powerful, you wouldn’t need such underhanded tricks."

"In my eyes, you’re nothing special!"

"Die!"

Nick struck without warning.

Second-tier spell.

"Water Prison Technique!"

Columns of water surged around Lev, encasing him completely in an inescapable dome.

The prison contracted rapidly, threatening to crush him within.

Lev stood inside, calm, unshaken.

He tilted his head slightly, surprised.

"You can cast a second-tier spell instantly?"

Even Lev couldn’t do that.

Nick sneered. "Surrender now, while you still can."

"This is a second-tier technique—I can't fully control its power. It’d be a shame if you got seriously hurt."

Lev smiled faintly. "Then I hope you *do* hurt me."

A chill ran through Nick’s spine—something was wrong.

Psssh!

The eight streams of the water prison closed in, touching Lev’s body—

and in an instant, his form shattered like glass, vanishing into mist.

Nick staggered mentally.

"Damn it—tricked again!"

"He knows illusion magic!"

"He’s not a fire mage at all—he’s a spirit-elementalist!"

By the time Nick realized the truth,

an orange-red fireball was already rushing toward his face.

In that moment, terror surged from the depths of his soul.

He felt the monstrous power coiled within that flame.

With no other choice, he activated his final defense—

the gemstone pendant at his chest flared with radiant light.

KABOOM!

The explosion shook the entire volcano, trembling as if about to collapse.

The eruption had been triggered ahead of schedule.

Gurgle… gurgle…

Deep within the mountain, molten currents churned with ominous fury.

Before the raw majesty of nature, all men tremble.

When the flames faded and dust settled,

Nick remained—standing in the center of a vast crater.

His face was pale, twisted in disbelief.

The ground around him had sunk more than a meter, leaving only the pillar beneath his feet untouched.

He stood alone atop that solitary column.

The gemstone on his necklace was cracked, its power spent.

He felt a deep, shuddering disbelief.

The Amulet of Protection—capable of withstanding second-tier spells—

had been shattered by a single fireball.

Did that mean this fireball surpassed the limits of second-tier magic?

It defied everything Nick understood.

In his mind, Fireball was merely a first-tier spell.

And a first-tier spell should never overpower a second-tier one.

(End of Chapter)