Chapter 18. Not Treated as a Big Deal
Fulan knew that the other party had probably gone mad. This was not the sort of situation where someone had been offended and deliberately came to take revenge.
The man had clearly come intending to die together with her.
Because of the special status apprentices held in this city, anyone who noticed that the target was wearing an apprentice robe would usually turn around and leave immediately.
No one wanted to risk their life for that kind of money.
However, the two modified humans were different. Whether the target was human or ghost did not matter to them.
Once they received a command, they simply rushed forward to attack. They had no normal human logic or judgment.
The wound on Fulan’s hand had already been healed with a Healing Potion. She did not show it, and her other hand was quietly gathering energy for a Wind Blade.
Mars seemed to have finished gloating. He also appeared to understand that no matter what happened, his actions would not end well for him. So he blew a whistle and charged forward with a sword in hand.
Fulan began circulating her Breathing Method. The wind gathered around her, and she guided the wind elements into her palm, amplifying the power of the next Wind Blade.
This was a small trick she had developed through practice. When she discovered that these two abilities could work together, she had been absolutely delighted.
She flattened the Wind Blade into a horizontal arc and launched it at the three men charging toward her. The blade moved with incredible speed and struck all three.
A thin line of blood appeared across each of their abdomens. However, the attack did not completely pierce through them, and their steps faltered briefly.
“Ah!”
Mars could not withstand the attack and collapsed to the ground, crying out in pain.
The two modified humans, however, did not stop at all. Pain seemed meaningless to them as they continued their charge.
Fulan stepped forward, deliberately moving to the side. The modified humans possessed extremely low intelligence and lacked normal human thinking. Although one of them saw his companion directly in front of him and did not swing his weapon, his steps still interfered with the other.
The modified human behind him could not stop in time and crashed into his companion. The collision disrupted their attack, allowing Fulan to dodge easily while also hindering one of their movements.
These modified humans were really not very bright. That was Fulan’s first impression after fighting them.
However, they were still remarkably durable. Fulan attempted to thrust her sword through one of their necks, but the blade struck something hard. The sword’s trajectory was deflected, failing to pierce through.
It seemed that whoever created them knew the neck was a weak point and had installed special protection there.
Fulan did not panic. She quickly widened the distance, and the two modified humans chased after her again.
Another Wind Blade flew from her hand, cutting wounds into the two beastmen. When they rushed forward again, she released yet another Wind Blade.
After several exchanges like this, the two beastmen—after all—were merely modified humans, not creatures made of steel. Eventually they collapsed to the ground, blood pooling everywhere.
If she had not possessed the Wind Blade spell, dealing with them might have been somewhat troublesome, though not truly difficult. She would simply have continued to fight while keeping her distance.
[You flexibly used Wind Blade during battle. Wind Blade proficiency +10]
[You completed an easy battle using the Swift Wind Breathing Method. Swift Wind Breathing Method proficiency +5]
Next, Fulan turned her gaze toward Mars, who lay on the ground. It was time to decide whether she should finish him off.
She stepped on Mars’s head. Just as he was beginning to push himself up, his body froze and slowly stopped moving.
Fulan knew that Mars was still alive. Her sword hovered above his head for a moment before she finally thrust it into his neck.
Blood sprayed outward, splattering across the ground. She pulled out her sword, now drenched in blood, and flicked it to the side, scattering the crimson drops.
In the end, Fulan decided to kill Mars. Leaving such a hidden danger alive would ensure she never slept peacefully again.
However, killing him meant accepting the consequences of killing an apprentice. In the end, considering that he had attacked first, she probably would not receive severe punishment.
At most, she might have to pay a fine or spend a few days in detention.
“Hey, do you want me to help?”
A familiar voice sounded behind her. Fulan turned and saw Elan standing there.
She did not say something like “How could you possibly help with something this serious?” Instead, she asked calmly,
“How will you help me?”
Elan smiled and said,
“Considering our relationship, I will not charge you this time. Just leave. You do not have to worry about anything.”
Fulan’s face was filled with disbelief. How could a smuggler possibly resolve the issue of her killing an apprentice?
As if he knew she would not believe him, Elan added,
“If you do not trust me, you can stay. It will just waste more of your time.”
Of course, Fulan could not simply leave. The scene was right here, and she still needed to establish that Mars had attacked her first, rather than allowing it to be twisted into a story where she had ambushed him.
What if the enforcement officers lost their minds and decided that she had been the instigator?
Still, she did not refuse Elan’s help.
In her view, since Elan could sell spells and potions, he must have connections of some sort. Having help was better than having none.
After a while, a team of uniformed enforcement officers arrived.
They briefly inspected the scene, ignored Fulan entirely, and instead asked Elan,
“What is the situation here?”
Elan did not answer immediately. He first adjusted his hat before saying,
“One apprentice attacked another apprentice due to personal grudges. He also purchased two modified beastmen from the Modification School as assistants. The apprentice who was attacked killed them all in return. That is the situation.”
Another enforcement officer scribbled notes in a notebook, apparently recording the details.
The questioning officer continued,
“There are no other casualties? Is the attacked apprentice this person?”
He pointed in Fulan’s direction.
“Yes,” Elan replied. “That is her. Can you not see the blood on her body and sword?”
The officer ignored Elan’s complaint and asked another question.
“Both apprentices are from Cuilan Academy, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Both?”
“Both.”
After confirming twice, the officer turned to the others and said,
“The situation has been recorded. Call professionals to handle the bodies. Let us go.”
Fulan silently watched the entire process. After they left, she stepped forward and asked curiously,
“Why did they not even question me?”
In the original owner’s memories, whenever apprentices clashed, both sides were taken away and detained for several days.
During the investigation, many people would be questioned. It was nothing like this situation, where they did not even ask the bystanders.
“Well, what did I tell you? You could have just left. Staying here only wasted your time.”
Elan continued explaining,
“The academy assigns a primary supervisor to every district. Their job is to oversee everything within their area that might affect apprentices. I happen to be the supervisor of the Apprentice Market.”
“Of course they had to ask me. The regulations require investigators to consult the responsible supervisor of the current district. I am staking my reputation to guarantee your account.”