Previously, when the Wise Sovereign introduced the Grey Merchant’s party, he focused on the Wicked Woman and the Grey Merchant, mentioning only briefly the general affiliations of the four apprentices. Mainly because apprentices don’t have much that merits close attention.
Ghostly Shadows, there’s no need for the Wise Sovereign to elaborate; from his nickname, it’s clear that he’s a Shadow Series apprentice.
Dispatching a Shadow Series apprentice is not particularly unexpected.
On their side, there are two apprentices, Kaier and Vay. Kaier’s demeanor is unmistakably that of the Academy Faction, and the Practical Faction has always looked down on the combat capabilities of the Academy Faction, so Kaier is certainly disregarded. As for Vay, he has the characteristic of the mirror turning red, already verified as a descendant of the Noah Clan, which surely makes the opposing side very attentive.
In such circumstances, deploying a Shadow Series apprentice—a type with strong survival capabilities and a style leaning towards scouting—is actually a good choice. With the abilities of the Shadow Series, they can engage in prolonged battles completely.
The longer the combat duration, the more it can expose the abilities of the opponent.
Even if Ghostly Shadows ultimately loses, he still probes most of Vay’s abilities, benefiting the next competitor to deliver a targeted attack.
To avoid this situation, the only way is to seize the opportunity and swiftly and decisively eliminate Ghostly Shadows.
However, Angel thought carefully that Vay is an Earth Element apprentice, and the Earth Element within the Elemental Side excels in material layer confrontation. In contrast, the Shadow Series tends toward energy, making it uneasy if Vay faces off against Ghostly Shadows.
This is likely the opposing side’s strategy.
"Oh-ho-ho~ Being targeted, aren’t we~" Dox’s laughter was somewhat arrogant, prompting Vay on the arena to involuntarily turn back and glare at him.
Kaier also muttered within the Mind Ribbon, "Perhaps, I should have gone first..."
Within the Mysterious Side, the Space Series belongs to the strong series, capable of countering the Material Realm and disrupting the energy realm, essentially immune to constraints. This is why, when most wizards choose cross-series cultivation, the Space Series invariably appears on the list.
If Kaier faced Ghostly Shadows, the latter wouldn’t dare to prolong the fight, necessitating a swift resolution. Otherwise, Kaier could compress Ghostly Shadows’ movement space by continuously creating spatial fractures around him. If he directly created a fracture on Ghostly Shadows’ body, Ghostly Shadows would have no choice but to surrender immediately to stay alive.
Therefore, delaying the fight with Kaier is fundamentally impossible. The longer the delay, the smaller the advantage.
This is the reason for Kaier’s current lament.
"Even if you entered, the opposing side might not necessarily choose Ghostly Shadows. Perhaps you’ll face the Magic Elephant." Dox added from the side.
The Magic Elephant is a Bloodline Apprentice, evident from the purity of the blood aura it emits, indicating his future path aligns with the Blood Origin, like the Grey Merchant.
The Bloodline Apprentice balances long-term engagement with potentially rapid explosive outcomes, achieving swift victory. A Bloodline Apprentice of the Practical Faction like the Magic Elephant makes things tough for an Academy Faction member like Kaier without extraordinary measures.
Kaier considered, acknowledging Dox’s point, however...
"Then there’s actually no need for Vay to go first. If they take the initial move, we can determine whether I should go first or if Vay should engage."
Dox: "Well..."
Dox paused momentarily, glancing at the hovering Black Earl. Whether Vay goes first or later is surely Black Earl’s decision, thus Kaier’s question should be answered by Black Earl.
However, Black Earl seemed disinclined to respond, prompting Dox to ponder for a moment, then said, "When you explore the ruins and become embroiled in a skirmish, do you intend to ask the opposing side to accommodate you, preferably those countering your attributes?"
"Moreover, even if it’s not a sudden skirmish, in the Sky Tower competitions, you can’t predict the opposing forces you’ll face, whether it’s countering them or being countered."
Kaier: "Though that’s true, but..."
Dox signaled "hush" and continued, "Enough with the buts. Consider Vay’s identity a bit more deeply."
Although Dox lowered his voice, within the Mind Ribbon it had no significance.
"The opponent represents the Birlos Family’s minions, whereas Vay is an esteemed descendant of the Noah Family. Among Wizard Families, winning isn’t the sole prize in view, just this point demands navigating greater complexities."
Certainly, these words are speculations by Dox. Yet, they’re not entirely unjustified. Having adventured with Vay previously, Vay often complained about how, at certain times, family background not only fails to serve as a positive attribute but becomes a substantial burden instead.
Wizard Families and Witcher Organizations ultimately differ greatly. Families face collective gain or loss, sharing the sentiments of glory or dishonor, thus valuing reputation heavily—a notion even the elite Noah Clan finds difficult to shake.
This doesn’t imply Witcher Organizations neglect reputation; it’s just that intra-organizational factions are numerous, and conflicting interests around resource allocation often lead to internal strife among factions. Occasionally, external reputation dilemmas emanate from schemes of rival factions within the organization, where mutual denunciations make reputation inadvertently an edge concern. It’s not unimportant, just... lacks the imagined significance.
Based on this understanding, Dox formed his conjecture.
Because Black Earl evaded refuting, one could perceive he wasn’t outright wrong. Perhaps it’s not the most correct answer; it may be Black Earl intends to enhance Vay’s crisis management skills, but family burdens seemingly contribute partly to this decision.
Kaier listened intently, baffled by how Wizard Family dynamics contained such intricacies.
Angel understands relatively better though. Bringing Wizard Families into the context of traditional noble relations, Dox’s statement becomes plausible.
...
While they engaged in secret chitchat, the battle on the arena had commenced.
As they conjectured, the opposing side dispatched Ghostly Shadows, who aside from making a brief appearance, was identified as a man wearing a pitch-black mask before vanishing into the ground shadows like Earl Mi.
However, Ghostly Shadows is merely an apprentice, far from Earl Mi’s league.
Earl Mi can navigate within shadows or transform into a Shadow Giant to fight directly even without shadows. But Ghostly Shadows differ; his abilities solely function through utilizing shadows, while the arena is brightly illuminated with no architectural elements to cast shadows—Vay produces the only shadow.
Ghostly Shadows couldn’t brazenly delve into Vay’s shadow at the outset, which is suicidal.
Thus, to generate shadows locally, Ghostly Shadows formed a cloud of mist over the arena before disappearing. He used the mist’s shade for shelter.
This mist differs from the Illusion Technique utilized by Angel; it’s a common trick in the Shadow Series known as the Mist Technique.
Though bearing a similar name, most Shadow Series apprentices—or precisely all who’ve employed Mist Technique—demonstrate varying origins of the technique.
Some use bespoke materials, others create energy mist from trick combinations, some manipulate light and shadow for illusions, and others employ alchemy tools...
Due to the diverse sources of Mist Technique, cracking its mystery necessitates robust foundational knowledge and sharp perception.
For Vay to prevail over Ghostly Shadows, his foremost task is unraveling the Mist Technique, leaving the opponent shadowless to hide.
Staring at the dense white mist overhead, Vay’s mind rapidly churned...