Wizard: Start with Biological Transformation to Grind Experience
Chapter 168 - 007: The Lonely Knight

Chapter 168: 007: The Lonely Knight

The gaze fell upon the training ground in the castle, with the wind howling and snow falling.

Soldiers held torches to light the fire pits around the square, and the dancing flames illuminated the entire area brightly.

The guests had paused their banquet and crowded outside, encircling the square completely.

Jamie and Arthur stepped into the duel arena and stood facing each other.

"Go, Baron!"

"He’s mad! This delusional boy actually dares to challenge the Knight of Hundred Flowers!"

The waves of voices rose higher and higher, but all the cheers overwhelmingly supported Jamie. In contrast, Arthur appeared solitary and isolated.

The only companions he had were the sword he held tightly and his resolute gaze.

"Clang!"

A loud copper gong was struck, and the battle began instantly.

Arthur launched the first attack. A milky-white Fighting Spirit burst forth from his body, his speed suddenly surged, and he charged straight toward Jamie. It was none other than the famed High-level Swordsmanship technique "Direct Death Without Advance—Charge."

The distance between the two was only a few dozen meters, but with the acceleration of his charge, Arthur closed the gap in an instant, delivering a beautiful Heavy Slash as his attack.

As the blade neared, Jamie finally made his move after standing frozen all this time.

He simply raised his sword-wielding hand in a casual upward swing—an ordinary attack without any embellishments, not even using Fighting Spirit.

"Clang!" A deafening sound.

Arthur flew backward, landing heavily in the snow, rolling several times before coming to a stop.

The gap in strength between the two was simply too vast. Moreover, whatever Arthur knew, Jamie also knew, but with mastery a hundred times more refined.

"Baron! Baron!"

"Victory! Victory!"

The crowd erupted in jubilant cheers, their enthusiasm overwhelming.

Arthur quickly scrambled to his feet, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and, without hesitation, dashed forward again, still—

Charge!

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

But the results were always the same. No matter how he charged, no matter whether he used Heavy Slash, Cross Slash, Charge Slash, or any other sword path, Jamie easily sent him flying every time.

It was as if an insurmountable mountain stood in his way.

Even the spectators began to clearly see that the outcome between the two held not the slightest suspense.

Yet Arthur, the person involved, seemed completely oblivious to this fact, continuing to launch charge after charge.

No matter how many times he was knocked down, he would always scramble back to his feet quickly.

Even when beaten black and blue, dizzy and disoriented, bloodied and battered, he remained unbroken, swiftly rising to charge forward again, each time fiercer, each time braver.

His eyes, unwaveringly resilient, never lost their piercing intensity.

But does sheer determination make a difference?

Maybe it can.

Lynch clearly noticed a flicker of hesitation appearing in Jamie’s gaze, his sword-swinging movements slowing slightly.

"The Baron can’t lose!"

"He is the lord of Tulip Domain! The leader of us all!"

The raucous cheers jolted Jamie from his lingering hesitation, the brief moment of uncertainty in his eyes swiftly dissipating.

As Arthur charged forward once more, Jamie decisively took a step forward.

As if it were merely a light, effortless step...

A burst of brilliant silver-gray Fighting Spirit erupted from his body, the silvery glow tinged faintly with gold, a sign of Fighting Spirit cultivation pushed to the extreme—evidence of the power of a Great Knight.

The snowflakes swirling through the air were stirred up, interweaving with the silver-gray Fighting Spirit to form a cyclone around Jamie’s body, solid as if materialized.

The approaching Arthur was blocked by this cyclone, unable to advance a single inch regardless of his efforts.

Jamie then raised his sword and swung it forward.

"Boom!" A thunderous crash.

Arthur was sent flying out of the arena, his Cross Sword slipping from his grasp, spinning twice in the air before embedding itself diagonally into the nearby snow.

"Baron! Baron!"

"Victory!"

The crowd erupted into frenetic cheers.

Only Arthur sat dazed on the ground, tears uncontrollably streaming down both sides of his face.

But soon, he regained his composure.

He wiped the tears from his cheeks, swiftly got up, and retrieved his Cross Sword.

Then, he walked forward, placed his hand over his heart, and bowed deeply toward Jamie: "Thank you very much, Baron, for granting me this opportunity. Though I failed to secure it, I still wish to express my gratitude on behalf of Ramos Duchy."

Jamie nodded. "You’re welcome."

Arthur continued, "Well then, I won’t linger here. Farewell."

Jamie glanced at the skies, attempting to persuade him to stay: "Wait until the snow stops to leave."

"No need."

Arthur shook his head. "I’ve already delayed too long."

Seeing this, Jamie said no more.

He promptly instructed a servant nearby, "Prepare a horse for him, along with some provisions, and give him 20 gold coins."

Pause. Then Jamie turned to Arthur and added, "You don’t need to waste time traveling around the rest of the Seven Kingdoms; you won’t convince any nobles to deploy their armies for a war with no visible benefits."

"Try Hawk Castle instead!"

"If there’s any place in this world still willing to lend you aid, I believe it’s Hawk Castle."

Hawk Castle, a noble domain in the northeast of Ramos Duchy, its lord was once one of Grant’s Golden Knights, practically a pioneer of Ramos Duchy.

Arthur nodded. "Understood."

With that, he delayed no further, mounted the horse, and swiftly rode off.

Snow fell heavily and icy winds howled.

His figure solitary and melancholic, swiftly swallowed by the merciless storm in this frigid black night.

The banquet resumed.

The guests drank and feasted, quickly forgetting the earlier, unrelated incident.

Jamie sipped his wine, looking contemplative.

Lynch teased, "What’s wrong? You won the duel, but you’re not happy?"

Jamie shot him a glance.

Holding his wine cup, he gazed toward the door. "He’s a very brave young man. If I could, I’d truly want to lose to him."

After a moment, he sighed deeply. "If the old man were still here, I could abandon all of this and join that naive fool in saving the world, like a true knight fulfilling his oath."

Lynch asked curiously, "What exactly is happening in Ramos Duchy?"

Jamie looked at him strangely. "You don’t know?"

Such transcendent matters should be handled by these transcendent Wizards.

Lynch nodded. "I came out specifically to investigate this time."

"Ah..."

Jamie frowned briefly before explaining, "I don’t know much either. I’ve only heard rumors—it’s said Dead Spirits have appeared there, and in terrifyingly massive numbers. Thousands? Tens of thousands? The exact figure is unclear. Those who’ve seen it describe mountains and plains teeming with them."

"Zombies, Skeletons—countless horrifying monsters have surrounded Gwodis completely, turning it into an isolated city."

"If you want to enter, the Dead Spirits will part ways for you, but if you try to leave, they’ll attack. That boy earlier fought unbearably hard just to escape, and apparently, all his companions died, leaving him as the sole survivor."

"He’s a brave kid. Word has it they formed a knight order within Ramos Duchy, taking the surname of Great Knight Grant. We wanted to keep him here, but what a pity..."

Lynch asked, confused, "They let people in but not out?"

Jamie nodded. "Yeah, strange, isn’t it? No one’s quite sure what the Dead Spirits are after. For now, they’ve just surrounded the city, plunging everyone inside into despair. Continuing like this, I reckon their hope is all but gone. Do you have any idea why?"

Despair?

Lynch narrowed his eyes. Could it be...

According to the Tower’s intelligence, the mastermind controlling these Dead Spirits should be Diego, Barton’s senior apprentice from Shadow Swamp.

Combining Jamie’s description with this, Lynch suddenly thought of a possibility.

A possibility mentioned repeatedly in Richard’s Necromancy knowledge and Barton’s Necromancy records—a certain spell, an evil witchcraft unique to the Shadow Swamp organization created by the Black Wizard Morris.

An evil ritual meant to break through the Wizard Level...

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