The Golem Mage

596: Unharmed.

596: Unharmed.

Bodhi came to a stop, bending lightly and placing his sword in front of him, after observing Alec’s lackluster attitude and minimal movement, Bodhi suspected that Alec refrained from moving to prevent exacerbating a critical internal injury he had incurred when he faced Omar.

However, his suspicions didn’t end there, as from the moment he had released his Qi-infused slashes, Bodhi had noticed that Alec restricted his movement to the bare minimum, only mobilizing his hands when necessary for spellcasting.

With this observation in mind, Bodhi decided to test his theory that Alec had become completely ineffective in close combat situations.

This curiosity drove Bodhi to close the distance between himself and Alec, wanting to challenge Alec’s capabilities in close-quarters combat.

As it seemed suspicious to Bodhi that someone like Alec, who has now become known for his proficiency in close combat, suddenly resorted to attacking from a long range.

So in order to put his theory to the test, Bodhi pressed forward.

Alec, noticing Bodhi’s approach, extended his right hand and swatted his fingers, causing smaller rocks to uproot from the ground and hurtle towards Bodhi.

Despite the fast-moving debris, Bodhi deftly maneuvered around them, continuing his advance toward Alec.

However, just before Bodhi entered Alec’s force field area of control, he heard a cautionary voice in his mind.

“Don’t approach him, you would have to test a long-distance spell on him and don’t worry about mana consumption,” the monk’s voice echoed in Bodhi’s mind.

The monk had already discerned Bodhi’s thoughts as he observed the way Bodhi moved towards Alec.

Uncertain of whether Alec was merely putting on a show or genuinely suffering from serious internal injuries, the monk wished to avoid Bodhi making any unnecessary movements that might worsen his situation.

However, the monk was certain that Alec posed immense danger within a certain range.

As mages who had developed their elemental affinity had possessed a domain ability before even being able to evolve their affinity, and that allowed them to effortlessly manifest spells within the range of their domain.

While Alec on the other hand appeared to have developed a force field, and the monk understood that against other Tier 5 mages, there were likely only a few who would stand a chance against him.

Within his force field, it would be challenging to even approach Alec, given that his earth element manipulation had awakened two sub-control abilities, gravity and sand.

The monk doubted Bodhi would be able to handle these powers at close range, as he believed Bodhi would be overwhelmed before he could even get near Alec.

Although the plan to test Alec’s ability to move seemed acceptable, but the monk was unwilling to make such a sacrifice for a meager victory.

Besides, achieving the same outcome from a distance was possible as long as the attack was sufficiently strong.

Upon hearing the monk’s advice, Bodhi came to a stop and stomped his feet on the ground, propelling himself backward to create distance.

Alec raised an eyebrow in response to Bodhi’s action.

The monk noticed Alec’s subtle facial expression and decided to further interfere in the course of the match.

Realizing that the referee had not reprimanded him for his mental interference, the monk concluded that he could continue with his actions.

Sending messages through mental communication could only be accomplished by mentally speaking into a person’s mind.

Such feats could be easily achieved once a certain mastery was attained in mental abilities.

However, the referee was responsible for covering the entire battle ring arena with their own mental energy, not only to anticipate danger by reading the fighters’ attacks.

But it included cancelling any mental interference in the match.

But upon noticing that the referee had not reacted to his previous mental message, the monk decided to send another.

“Create a watered ground with your low-tier spell, depriving him of the opportunity to manifest his sand control, then, send a large wave towards him and observe his reaction, if he shows any sign of struggle when he tries moving, it confirms your suspicion of internal injuries,” the monk advised through the mental connection.

“But if he remains unaffected, it would mean he has been pretending all along to lure you closer to him,” the monk continued, only to have his mental message abruptly cut off.

However, he was certain that the referee was not the one interrupting the connection while floating in the air.

There were still important points the monk wanted to convey to Bodhi.

As it seemed that none of the mages that faced Alec had been able to outwit him in terms of tactics.

Alec appeared to possess the wisdom of an experienced warrior, a sly fox, that effortlessly outmaneuvering his opponents.

Despite being frustrated by the interruption of his mental communication, he didn’t let that discourage him, the monk decided to follow the trail of the mental energy that had severed his connection with Bodhi.

By utilizing his residual mental energy, he traced the mental thread, which led him to direct his focus towards the doors from which the referees emerged.

To his astonishment, he saw the red-haired referee who had been presiding over all the matches from the beginning standing there.

“If you have something to convey to your student, you should be able to do so openly, the fact that you resorted to hidden mental messages implies it’s not something you should be sharing in the first place.”

“Don’t interfere with this match in such a way again, or I will sever both your hands in front of your students, bringing you shame.”

The monk’s mind reverberated with the voice of the red-haired referee, his stern warning echoing ominously.

Despite the referee’s outwardly pleasant demeanour, the threatening message left no room for doubt about his resolve to carry out the threat.

Under his breath, the monk muttered,

“What a terrifying man, but why should I be punished when it’s clearly your colleague who has failed in his duties?”

Attempting to deflect the blame and seek some leniency, the monk addressed the referee, but the red-haired man still responded dismissively,

“You need not worry about such matters, as for the immature relationship referee, he will receive his due punishment when the time is right, and do not refer to him as my colleague; he is nothing more than a temporary substitute when I’m not available, a disgrace to our profession, we praise in public and punish in private, so his punishment is surely coming.”

With that, the referee severed the mental connection, making it clear that he did not wish to be seen colluding with the monk for the Vajra Academy’s benefit.

Resigned to the situation, the monk redirected his focus to the ongoing battle, hoping that Bodhi would effectively use the information he had provided.

[> Low Tier Spell – Water Ball