"Familiar? Master, you must be mistaken."
Richard was inwardly shaken, but his expression remained calm, and he even managed to show a hint of appropriate confusion.
"Master and I should have never met before."
"Is that so?" The newly arrived Second-Ring Wizard scrutinized Richard and Makar behind him, then showed a hint of apology on his face.
"It seems I was mistaken."
Richard smiled and then led Makar out of the hall.
As he passed by the Second-Ring Wizard, he caught a glimpse of the man's right hand, gripping his staff with veins bulging—a sign of extreme tension.
Richard's expression didn't change, and he even gave the man a friendly smile.
Then Richard opened the door, letting Makar follow behind, and quickly exited the rest hall.
Once outside, Richard's expression changed drastically, and he immediately flew towards the inner ring at high speed.
"Makar, protect me!"
"Yes, sir."
Back in the rest hall, after realizing Richard had left, the Second-Ring Wizard's face turned pale.
He shouted to the wizards in the hall, "Quickly inform the frontline wizards! That man was not one of us—he's a wizard dispatched by the Black Tower Academy! Thirty years ago, he killed my squad!"
This wizard, who had come from the rear, was the squad leader who had survived Richard's massacre by relying on his phylactery.
"What!"
The wizards in the hall were immediately alarmed. A Second-Ring Wizard quickly took out a crystal ball and contacted Peter, who was in the rest room.
"Hey, Peter, where did you meet that wizard you brought with you? Do you know him?"
"Ah? You mean Master Makar? I met him in the outer ring. I don't know him. Why? Is there a problem? Hello? Hello!"
Peter's response left the hall in complete silence. The wizards present recalled the scene earlier—Richard had walked in with Peter, chatting and laughing, and none of them had suspected a thing.
"Inform the frontline! Inform the frontline!"
A Second-Ring Wizard picked up the crystal ball to inform the frontline about Richard, but an elderly Second-Ring Wizard stopped him.
"It's true we need to inform the frontline," the old wizard said slowly, "but we must clearly indicate the strength of this wizard."
As he spoke, the old wizard emphasized the words "clearly" and "strength."
The wizard whose hand was held back was puzzled, but after seeing the old wizard's serious expression, he quickly understood the implication.
A man capable of single-handedly slaughtering a squad of Second-Ring Wizards would inflict heavy casualties if intercepted rashly.
Their current situation was stable, and there was no need to risk unnecessary losses.
A single Second-Ring Wizard passing through wasn't a big deal.
This wasn't a Plane War; they were all wizards, and there was no need to fight to the death.
The other Second-Ring Wizards also understood the old wizard's intention and nodded slightly to the wizard communicating with the frontline.
They agreed with the old wizard's view.
Once the crystal ball connected, the Second-Ring Wizard spoke solemnly, "Frontline, be advised: an Alchemist Wizard who once slaughtered an entire squad of wizards is approaching from the rear. Frontline, be advised: an Alchemist Wizard who once slaughtered an entire squad of wizards is approaching from the rear."
Upon hearing the emphasis on "slaughtered an entire squad of wizards," the frontline Second-Ring Wizards immediately understood the message.
"Frontline received. We will make appropriate arrangements."
Hearing this vague response from the frontline, the Second-Ring Wizards in the hall exchanged knowing smiles.
The newly arrived Second-Ring Wizard, watching this scene, was puzzled but assumed they were pleased that Richard had no chance of escape.
"Masters, let's hurry and chase him! No matter how powerful that wizard is, he can't withstand—"
"Master, what is your name?" a Second-Ring Wizard interrupted.
"I am Zizek."
"Master Zizek, you must have had your phylactery destroyed by this wizard back then. It would be too dangerous for you to pursue him now."
The Second-Ring Wizards all stood up, and the one who had spoken continued, "This kind of pursuit is best left to us. We still have our phylacteries as insurance."
Zizek felt that this matter wasn't as simple as the wizard made it out to be, but the memory of his squad being slaughtered flashed before his eyes, sending a shiver down his spine.
Could Second-Ring Wizards really stop this wizard?
He swallowed hard and bowed to the Second-Ring Wizards.
"Then I leave it to you, masters. Please be careful; his Alchemy Golem is extremely powerful."
…
Richard, who was speeding towards the inner ring, had no idea that the wizards of the Falling Star Academy had decided to half-heartedly deal with him.
At this moment, he was on high alert, constantly scanning his surroundings, fearing that a dozen Second-Ring Wizards might jump out from the shadows and give him a beating.
But after flying for a long time, nearing the frontline, not a single wizard appeared to intercept him.
"Did I guess wrong? Maybe that wizard didn't recognize me and just had a hand problem?"
Richard pondered this when suddenly a fireball blocked his path.
Boom! The shockwave, accompanied by scattered elemental flames, slammed into the Magic Barrier.
The fireball wasn't particularly powerful, but it was enough for Richard to confirm that his identity had indeed been discovered.
But why was no one chasing him? Richard and Makar continued flying, constantly bombarded by fireballs, ice arrows, and lightning bolts.
Strangely, these spells were weak, barely causing ripples on Richard's Magic Barrier—purely symbolic.
This was quite puzzling.
However, despite his confusion, Richard didn't slow down.
He streaked through the sky like a meteor, with the Falling Star Academy's spells exploding like fireworks around him.
Soon, Richard and Makar broke free from the Falling Star Academy's control zone and entered the middle of the battlefield.
This area had been flattened by the wizards of both sides, and any wizard attempting to infiltrate would be detected immediately.
The wizards of the Black Tower Academy, watching Richard being surrounded by spell fireworks and rapidly approaching the inner ring, were momentarily stunned.
What was going on? Was the enemy in chaos? But before the Black Tower wizards could react, Richard, at an astonishing speed, plunged into the inner ring's trap zone.
Boom!
The trap zone echoed with loud and small noises, occasionally spilling flames and lightning.
By the time the Black Tower wizards arrived, Richard had been blasted into a disheveled state by the Magic Array traps.
"Who are you?" the first Second-Ring Wizard to arrive demanded sharply.
They didn't attack immediately because Richard's entrance was so bizarre that they couldn't figure out his intentions.
Hearing the voice, Richard joyfully removed his mask.
"Senior Wan Jiali, it's me! Richard, Ellie's wizard partner."
Not a single word or content is missing!
Hearing this, the Second-Ring Wizard was stunned.
She carefully examined Richard, somewhat uncertain, "You are... Junior Richard?"
She had only met Richard once and had some impression of her junior sister's wizard partner.
But looking at the Richard before her, she couldn't reconcile him with the Richard she remembered.
Logically, Richard's Life Radiation was stronger than hers, a level of power uncharacteristic of a wizard just over four hundred years old.
"It's really me. I was sent out on a mission. Some issues arose recently, and I returned to the academy to resolve them."
Wan Jiali made a gesture, signaling the surrounding wizards to stay alert. Then, half-convinced, she took out a crystal ball, operated it, and connected with her teacher, Susanna.
"Teacher, I encountered a wizard in my defense zone who claims to be Richard.
He says he encountered some issues during his mission and needs to return to resolve them."
"Richard?"
The voice from the crystal ball sounded surprised but quickly calmed down.
"Let him in."
"But his strength doesn't match my memory... it's somewhat inconsistent."
"Second-Ring strength, accompanied by a three-meter-tall steel golem, right?"
"Yes."
"Then it's definitely him. Let him in."
Wan Jiali put away the crystal ball and signaled to the surrounding wizards.
The wizards lowered their staffs, and Richard walked out of the trap zone.
The wizards returned to their positions, and Wan Jiali led Richard around the inner ring's traps towards the central Black Tower.
On the way, Wan Jiali casually asked,
"Junior Richard, this trip must have been quite taxing for you."
Richard's face stiffened. Logically, he should have fought his way out of the Falling Star Academy wizards' encirclement. But in reality, from start to finish, he hadn't seen a single Second-Ring Wizard from the Falling Star Academy come to intercept him.
"How should I put it? Getting in was a bit of a hassle, but when my identity was exposed, I ended up moving unimpeded."
"Oh? How so?"
Richard briefly described the situation, and then saw Wan Jiali laugh:
"Those cunning fellows."
"Senior, what do you mean?"
"They didn't come out to intercept you purely out of fear of your formidable strength, fearing you'd kill them during your breakout.
Think about it, these Second-Ring Wizards have all survived the Plane Battlefield. Who would be willing to waste their lives in an Academy War?
Since your entry wouldn't affect the overall situation, they naturally chose to half-heartedly deal with it."
Hearing this, Richard immediately understood.
"So that's how it is. Thank you, Senior, for the clarification."
Arriving in front of the central Black Tower, Wan Jiali returned to her position.
Richard had Makar wait outside the Black Tower and entered alone.
When he reached the 99th floor, he found his teacher, Jolod, waiting for him at the laboratory door.
Jolod examined Richard and couldn't help but praise:
"You've made significant progress recently. What opportunity did you encounter that made you willing to give up the dean's treasury?"
Richard looked somewhat embarrassed: "Ah, it was purely an accident. It's hard to explain in a few words."
"If it's hard to explain, then don't."
Jolod said indifferently; he had no interest in prying into his student's privacy.
As long as Richard returned safely, he was satisfied.
"You've come back, I guess, for the contract matter, right?"
Richard nodded: "Teacher, you're as insightful as ever. That's indeed why I'm here."
Jolod glared at Richard: "Stop flattering this old man.
The contract can no longer be renewed; it's a matter of principle.
But right now, I have a contract with a similar reward. Would you like to hear it?"
Richard quickly said: "Please, Teacher, go ahead."
Jolod slowly began:
"The academy is planning a counterattack and needs a vanguard to break the deadlock."
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