Chapter 160: What a peculiar young man.

Chapter 160: Chapter 160: What a peculiar young man.

Chapter 160: What a peculiar young man.

Even if the brat had somehow managed to avoid the spell by accident, it still raised the question of how he had found this place in the first place.

The old man had deliberately hidden the field from outsiders, and although the Moonlight Grass possessed a rather distinct fragrance, it wasn’t something an ordinary person could easily follow from such a distance.

’Could he have some sort of special ability?’

His gaze briefly lingered on Osborne’s helmet, as though he were attempting to see through the metal covering his face.

"Well? Have you suddenly lost your tongue?"

The old man finally spoke again, bringing Osborne out of his thoughts.

"Not at all, Sir."

Osborne waved his hand harmlessly, maintaining his usual calm tone.

"I’m simply trying to understand where this misunderstanding came from. I had no intention of offending you, and if I had known this field belonged to such an esteemed magic user, I certainly wouldn’t have taken anything without permission."

"Lies!"

The old man immediately cut him off.

’Does he take me for a fool?’

His expression scrunched up as he stared at Osborne, seemingly finding the young man’s explanation more irritating with every passing moment.

"You expect me to believe you didn’t come here after sensing the restriction spell I put in place here?"

Osborne paused.

’ There he goes again with that spell? Just what is he talking about?’

He briefly glanced around the field, trying to recall whether he had encountered anything unusual while following the scent of the Moonlight Grass.

The old man seemed certain that some sort of spell had been placed around the area, and judging by his reaction, it was apparently something that should have been noticeable to anyone with sufficient magical ability.

However, Osborne couldn’t remember sensing anything of the sort.

’Was there a spell here to begin with?’

’ Wait, even if there was a spell here, how come I never sensed it?’

*****

"Silent now are you? Finally accepting your fate, boy?!"

"Sir, I’m afraid I must ask you to explain. Not once since I came here have I sensed such a thing, and even now, I can’t sense this spell you speak of."

"Boy, you best watch your words!"

The entire area suddenly turned gravely cold, causing the surrounding vegetation to tremble as an overwhelming amount of mana spread through the air. The old man’s tone had dropped considerably, and although he hadn’t made any obvious movements, the pressure coming from him was enough to make the atmosphere feel suffocating.

’Is he going to attack?’

Osborne’s expression hardened as his body instinctively reacted to the danger, with every cell in his body screaming at him to do something before it was too late.

He had already established that the old man was far beyond anything he could currently handle, and considering the difference between their mana reserves, even attempting to fight him would be nothing short of foolish.

******

’Something’s not right...’ The old man stared at the young man standing before him, his brows gradually drawing together as he carefully observed his opponent’s mana flow.

’There’s been no change in his mana flow even now, could he be telling the truth?’

The old man had encountered countless people throughout his long life, and although most would attempt to hide their fear when faced with someone stronger, their mana would usually betray them, becoming unstable or fluctuating as their emotions got the better of them.

Yet, the young man before him showed no such reaction, and while he was clearly aware of the difference in their strength, there was no sign that he was attempting to conceal anything.

Could it be that he genuinely hadn’t sensed the restriction spell?

The possibility was rather absurd, considering how much mana he had invested in the formation surrounding his garden, but the old man couldn’t completely dismiss what he was seeing.

Unfortunately, Osborne had no intention of waiting around to find out whether the old man would eventually believe him.

[Fire Ball]

’Fire ball barrage!’

Osborne didn’t want to risk his life by waiting, even when he knew he stood no chance against the old man.

His mana surged almost immediately, and several large fireballs began forming around him, their bright flames illuminating the surrounding forest as their numbers continued to increase.

’When did he?!’

The old man was taken aback as he watched the sudden display of magic, having momentarily lost track of the young man’s movements while considering his earlier words.

Perhaps due to his will to escape, over sixteen large fireballs came crashing towards the old man in the air.

However, rather than allowing the attacks to reach him, the old man immediately began ascending, attempting to fly higher and put some distance between himself and the incoming projectiles.

Unfortunately, Osborne had already anticipated that possibility.

Thick roots suddenly burst out from the ground in rapid succession, shooting towards the old man from several different directions while attempting to restrict his movements.

’Interesting... He intends to restrict my movements so I won’t dodge.’

The old man quickly came to that conclusion as he watched the roots spread around him, their movements surprisingly coordinated despite being created through a simple spell.

He turned to look at Osborne, intending to see what other tricks the young man had prepared, only to discover that he’d already gotten on top of the Lightning Wolf.

Both Osborne and the Lightning Wolf were fleeing at top speed.

Truthfully, Osborne never expected those attacks to do any damage whatsoever to the old man, and all he was hoping for was to buy just about enough time for him to escape.

He had no intention of testing his luck against someone who could probably kill him with a casual movement of his hand, especially when he still had plenty of things to accomplish.

’What an intriguing young man.’

The old man watched him go, his long beard swaying slightly as he remained suspended in the air.

’Even a third-circle mage might be instantly killed by such an unexpected trap.’

He chuckled softly, seemingly amused by the young man’s attempt to escape despite the overwhelming difference between them.