On a street where the ground's stone slabs were severely damaged.
The "Darkness" magic formed a special environment akin to a black mist, enveloping everything within a ten-meter radius of the battle's center.
The citizens gathered on the periphery and the many adventurers who had rushed over could not see what was happening inside at all.
In fact, this magic that created a dark environment caused quite a bit of panic among the ordinary people.
After all!
The battle between the Emerald Leaf Witch and Tina had already far exceeded the imagination of ordinary people, instilling a deep sense of fear.
"If the Emerald Leaf Witch doesn't have other means, she's likely going to lose."
Lyle spoke in a low voice; the compatibility between the two was too poor. Due to the distance, he could no longer determine the situation inside based on his own perception alone.
Thinking of the skill he had just acquired, he formed the "Tiger" seal with one hand and held it in front of his chest.
"Ninjutsu: Detection."
"Mm, a mana consumption equivalent to a third-Tier Magic."
Lyle judged the level of mana consumption as his vision and perception instantly sharpened.
Actually, he could activate ninjutsu without forming hand seals, just like the saying "call it and it comes," but using ninjutsu without hand seals always felt like something was missing.
It was like the Talisman User class of Entoma from the Pleiades, who used talismans like the "Thunderbird Dance Talisman" and "Shiki-Spider Talisman."
It looked like paper talismans were being activated, but in reality, it was just a form of expression; it was no different from magic.
Swish!
Through the darkness where vision was obscured in the distance, two figures about to collide entered Lyle's sight.
It was much clearer than expected.
The Emerald Leaf Witch had a white, flowing light-like glow on her body, while the white luster on Tina was slightly weaker.
"The white luster... is that the intensity of the life tier?" Lyle glanced at the spectating citizens below the window; the white energy glow on ordinary people was much weaker, just a thin layer.
Those with stronger glows were mostly adventurers in the crowd, and judging by the intensity, most were in the level teens range.
Within the mist-like darkness.
Tina used detection ninjutsu to confirm that the defensive magic "Magic Armor" had surfaced again on the Emerald Leaf Witch, who was bound in place.
"An unoriginal trick," Tina sneered.
A faint light flashed from the yellow boots on her feet, and the ground suddenly shook as her already extreme speed increased even further.
Whoosh!
Tina, transformed into a black shadow, arrived before the Emerald Leaf Witch in an instant and threw something forward with her left hand:
"Ninjutsu: Heavy Cut!"
A shuriken-like ninja tool was thrown, its surface coated in a layer of black energy.
Thump!
The shuriken weapon slammed heavily in front of the Emerald Leaf Witch's face, emitting a dull hum as it was blocked by a layer of Magic Armor in the middle.
The mana glow on the surface of the Magic Armor vibrated, forming ripples.
It held!
Seeing this, a smile instead appeared on the corner of Tina's mouth as she flicked her hand: "Ninjutsu: Star Shatter!"
Crack!
The shuriken weapon that had struck heavily against the Magic Armor suddenly shattered, turning into fine iron shards that exploded across the surface of the Magic Armor.
The double attack caused the mana glow on the Magic Armor's surface to dim significantly.
"It's over!"
Tina shouted low as the Blood-thread Dagger in her hand thrust out fiercely, its sharp tip piercing exactly where the shuriken had struck.
During the exchange just now, Tina had already deduced the defensive strength and characteristics of the Magic Armor.
The Blood-thread Dagger pierced in.
Bang!
The Magic Armor shattered.
The astonished Emerald Leaf Witch appeared before Tina.
I won!
This thought flashed through Tina's mind as the tip of the Blood-thread Dagger angled slightly downward.
She didn't intend to kill the opponent; severely wounding this demi-human would suffice. Otherwise, "Blue Rose" and "Free Will" would become complete enemies.
It wasn't that she was afraid, but she hadn't reported this covert operation to her leader, and there would be no shortage of trouble once this was over.
"Charm Human!"
A soft grunt came from the Emerald Leaf Witch's chest.
"What?"
Tina's attack suddenly paused, but in an instant, her magic items and Assassin's will forcibly broke through the mental control.
This demi-human could actually release magic under those circumstances?
Tina was also somewhat shocked, but her movements didn't stop for a moment; instead, she thrust even more ruthlessly.
The White Mist Witch's covert assistance, while not completely controlling Tina, allowed the Emerald Leaf Witch to react. She let out a raspy, high-pitched shout:
"Wild Shape!"
Just as the Blood-thread Dagger pierced her chest, Tina felt a powerful force from within that bounced the dagger back out.
Tina was stunned.
Rumble!
Outside, the many citizens standing on tiptoe and craning their necks, looking curiously and fearfully toward the street shrouded in black mist, suddenly heard a beast-like roar.
It scared many people into falling flat on their backs.
The "Darkness" magic was directly dispersed by the shockwave erupting from deep within.
Bang!
Tina crossed her arms in front of her chest as her body was uncontrollably blasted backward, falling heavily to the ground and tumbling twice before stabilizing herself.
"Pfft."
She spat out a mouthful of blood.
Tina knelt on one knee, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, her face pale as she looked forward.
In the spot where the Emerald Leaf Witch had been, there now stood a strange monster about 150 centimeters tall with the body of a chicken, the tail of a snake, and dense, hard brownish-black feathers.
"Cockatrice!"
Some knowledgeable adventurers in the crowd couldn't help but cry out in surprise.
It was a terrifying monster found in marsh environments, generally living in groups. Not only did they have the ability to fly, but some powerful individuals also possessed petrification abilities similar to Basilisks.
A ferocious monster had appeared out of nowhere!
The spectating crowd erupted in chaotic and terrified screams, though the many adventurers hidden among them were much steadier, albeit with solemn expressions.
By the window.
Lyle's slightly furrowed brow relaxed: "I thought she was going to lose, but it turns out she's already mastered the 'Wild Shape' ability."
"A Cockatrice, eh? I remember wiping out quite a few when I first entered the Great Wetlands. The first stage of 'Wild Shape' can't transform into monsters that exceed one's own body size."
"Otherwise, I have plenty of materials from powerful monsters here."
He withdrew his gaze.
There was no need to watch the rest of the battle, as the winner had already been decided.
The effect of "Ninjutsu: Detection" still persisted.
Lyle directed this detection ability toward himself.
The next moment.
An intense white light flared before his eyes, like a flashbang, causing Lyle's pupils to contract subconsciously.
Hum—
The effect of "Ninjutsu: Detection" dissipated.
"As expected, normal detection methods can perceive a certain level of my current strength."
Having blinded himself momentarily, Lyle felt a bit amused and couldn't help but rub the corners of his eyes.
This was the situation he had always been worried about.
As his Rank increased, if someone used detection-type methods on him, his true strength would potentially be exposed.
After a moment of contemplation,
Lyle activated the passive ability "Concealment Technique Mastery" from his Ninja class. As if by instinct, he began to suppress his aura both clumsily and skillfully.
"Ninjutsu: Detection!"
He activated the ninjutsu again to observe himself. Under the concealment technique, the originally intense white light had faded significantly.
Lyle then suppressed it further based on the intensity of the light on the Emerald Leaf Witch, making himself appear only a notch stronger.
"An unexpected gain. These passive abilities really shouldn't be viewed simply as the information in their descriptions."
Lyle raised his arm and clenched his fist, feeling the suppressed aura, his eyes brightening slightly.
Of course!
This was ultimately just a technique for suppressing his aura. As long as Lyle didn't use his full power, his true aura wouldn't be exposed.
It was no problem for bypassing normal magic detection, or the Qi sensing and detection methods of other classes.
However, it couldn't fool top-tier detection magic like 'Essence of Life' or 'Essence of Mana'. Only specialized counter-intelligence measures like 'False Data: Life' and 'False Data: Mana' would work.
Outside the window.
Tina was half-kneeling on the ground, more than half of her body gradually petrified and unable to move.
In the final clash, Tina had clearly suffered a great loss.
"Plant Entanglement!"
Rustle!
Vines burst through the stone slabs on the ground, binding and restraining Tina.
"Causing such a big commotion, there will be no shortage of trouble to handle next. The damaged ground and the surrounding shops that were affected or ruined will probably have to be compensated for."
"What a headache."
Lyle looked down at the crowd of guards who had rushed over because of the loud noise but didn't dare to step forward, and spoke softly:
"For the sake of gaining a new class, I'll overlook this reckless behavior."
He looked up,
And the Status Panel appeared before his eyes.
Lyle gave the new ninjutsu Tina had used only a glance before ignoring them.
He currently didn't lack offensive means. Among ninjutsu, only four really interested him.
"Ninjutsu: Detection", "Ninjutsu: Immovable Binding Art", "Ninjutsu: Immovable Vajra Shield", and "Ninjutsu: Shadow Clone Technique".
These ninjutsu could all have their power increased based on mana consumption.
Especially "Ninjutsu: Detection"; its detection capability could be enhanced by consuming more mana. For Lyle, who lacked detection methods and didn't want to waste skill points learning various tiers of detection magic, it was perfect.
The only thing that surprised Lyle slightly.
Was that the Shadow Clone Technique was actually a class skill for Ninja.
Thinking carefully, this ninjutsu was indeed quite powerful, as it could perfectly inherit the user's "Agility" and "Mana".
In a normal Rogue-type class build, this skill would at most be an excellent support tool, but in Lyle's hands, it was a low-spec version of "Einherjar".
A Ninja-type class build could only use physical attacks and ninjutsu skills, but Lyle could use all sorts of magic.
Gurgle~
The surface of the Cockatrice writhed, and the clearly visible brownish-black feathers retracted into its body at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The figure of the Emerald Leaf Witch coalesced once more before the crowd. Only at this moment did most of the citizens realize that the monster that had suddenly appeared was actually the Emerald Leaf Witch's transformation.
"She actually won?"
"It's the faith system's 'Wild Shape', a rather rare magic."
"Hey, hey, now's not the time to focus on that. Isn't that one of the two women from 'Blue Rose' who trained in Rogue techniques?"
"To think she would lose to that green-haired girl. Who is she?"
The spectating crowd erupted in wave after wave of exclamations. "Blue Rose" was extremely famous throughout the Royal Capital, not just because they were an adventurer party composed entirely of women.
But also because this team had reached "Orichalcum-rank" in a very short time, just one step away from the top-tier "Adamantite-rank" adventurers.
Of course.
Their leader Lakyus's status and beauty were also famous far and wide; she was called a charming woman with the "Light of Life," second only to the "Golden" Princess.
"That Magic Caster in 'Free Will' is even stronger than imagined."
"'Free Will'? You mean the members of that black-haired Genius alchemist?"
"That's right. No wonder they could wipe out the 'Death Spreading Sword Sect', that notorious and powerful mercenary group."
"Is that blonde girl hiding in the back also a member of 'Free Will'? She looks pretty ordinary."
"Not just ordinary, she's just a commoner. To think she could be chosen by that Genius alchemist. She looks average, too."
"Hehe, I heard alchemists have always had eccentric tempers. Maybe she possesses some skills that make people feel good."
"..."
Voices of astonishment, shock, and various other discussions rose from the crowd in all directions.
Hearing the discussions from the crowd behind her, Enri's face turned slightly pale, and her fingers tightened around the hem of her clothes.
The sights of the past few days had shown Enri the prosperity and vastness of the Royal Capital, which far exceeded everything she had ever imagined and overturned many of her perceptions.
A single magic item could actually sell for hundreds or even thousands of gold coins, an amount her village probably couldn't earn in decades or even a century.
She had originally thought the ten gold coins the Captain charged for alchemy potions was already excessively high.
There were also all kinds of expensive foods, pastries she had never even heard of, and a dizzying array of things.
All of it.
Made Enri feel completely out of place here. She was too ordinary; she didn't have Miss Emerald Leaf's great power, and she didn't know how to do anything.
The only thing she could do was try her best to handle small tasks.
Especially now.
Facing the stares and onlookers, combined with Miss Emerald Leaf's cold and haughty personality, Enri was truly at a loss.
"Hmph."
The Emerald Leaf Witch let out a cold snort and walked toward Tina, who was bound by vines and half-petrified.
Although she didn't understand why her master in the shadows wanted her to fight this human, she breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't lost to the opponent.
Fortunately, she had her sister's help, otherwise she would have lost just now.
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