Hearing Graham's furious rebuke, Karen's gaze grew even colder, a bone chilling pressure spreading toward Graham.

  The new apprentices behind him also crowded in, their faces full of fawning malice, each one standing on tiptoe to echo the insults, afraid of being a step behind in pleasing Karen.

  They all knew Graham was a lamb waiting for slaughter. The harder they trampled on him now, the more favor they would gain from Karen, and the smoother their path in the academy would be.

  "What are you supposed to be? Just a Freelance Mage with no backing. Karen told you to lead the way and you really started thinking you were someone important."

  A male student sneered, his voice dripping with contempt, completely forgetting that when he first came to the academy, it was Graham who had stood in front of him and driven off the Shadow Creatures.

  "I said long ago this guy was a stupid blockhead. You have already stepped into Radiant Magic Academy and you still cannot tell who matters and who does not. You just had to go cling to that talentless trash, Allen."

  Another girl spoke sharply, deliberately raising her voice so Karen would hear her clearly.

  "Of all people to befriend, you choose someone like Allen, a piece of garbage who does not even have enough magical affinity. Now look at you, you cannot even protect yourself anymore."

  "If you have the guts, call your Allen over right now. I want to see if he even dares to show his face in front of Karen."

  "In my opinion, even if he comes, he will have to kneel down and beg Karen for forgiveness. If he can keep his life, that would already mean he has some backbone."

  "In a few days, Allen will be arranged to come here too. Then he can feed the Gale Demon together with you."

  The crowd burst into loud laughter, the harsh sound echoing through the forest. Even Karen curled his lips into a cruel smile, his eyes full of mockery and disdain toward Graham.

  Graham clenched the short sword in his hand, his eyes bloodshot. Looking at these people who chased power and twisted the truth, a surge of extreme anger and sorrow rose in his heart.

  He had never imagined that the people he had risked his life to protect would end up kicking him while he was down.

  Graham's magic power erupted without restraint."Even if I die today, killing one will make it worth it, killing two will be a profit. If you want me dead, do not think you will walk away unharmed."

  Before the words had even faded, Graham kicked off the ground and charged forward, the short sword in his hand stabbing straight at the boy who was closest to him and mocking him the hardest.

  That boy had never seen such a ferocious Graham before. Startled by the sudden attack, he stumbled backward, nearly falling.

  His magic power was weak. He had no way to block Graham's all out strike.

  But just as the short sword was about to pierce his throat, a swift figure flashed forward. A hand precisely caught the tip of the blade, forcibly stopping the powerful blow.

  Graham looked up. The one who had intervened was Karen.

  He knew very well that he was only a Junior Mage, while Karen was an Intermediate Mage, someone he had no chance of fighting.

  Karen applied a little pressure with his fingers. With a soft crack, the short sword made of refined iron was snapped in two by his bare hand.

  The broken blade fell to the ground with a crisp sound, completely shattering Graham's last bit of hope.

  Before Graham could recover from his shock, the magic power surging around Karen formed an invisible impact that crushed Graham's aura completely.

  A dull, heavy sound rang through the forest as Karen struck Graham hard in the chest with his palm.

  Graham did not even have time to raise a defense before he spat out blood and was slammed to the ground. He clutched his chest and gasped for breath, unable to even lift his arm.

  Looking at Graham lying on the ground, barely alive, the boy who had been frightened earlier slowly stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and showed a face full of gloating.

  He walked step by step to Graham, looking down at him as he mocked,"I thought you were so impressive. Turns out you cannot even take one strike from Karen. What a piece of trash."

  "Why has your Allen not come to save you yet?" He bent down on purpose, his tone growing even more vicious.

  "I have never seen a fool like you. You really thought that Allen was something worth clinging to. Now it seems you are just walking toward destruction together with him."

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Graham collapsed to the ground, his mind spinning violently, and the sharp pain in his chest burned like fire.

  He coughed up another mouthful of blood mixed with bits of flesh, his vision rapidly blurring, and moments later everything went black as he completely lost consciousness.

  A cold smile lingered on Karen's face as he shot a cruel glance at the new apprentices around him.

  "Everyone, strike him once. Finish him completely. Leave no traces."

  He deliberately made sure everyone would be involved, binding them all together and silencing any potential whispers.

  The group nodded, forming a tight circle around Graham. They exchanged glances, and finally, the boy who had earlier been intimidated by Graham stepped forward first.

  "Blame yourself for not knowing your place. You offended Karen and insisted on sticking with that worthless Allen!"

  The boy muttered to bolster his courage, drew the dagger from his waist, crouched, and aimed it at Graham's lower abdomen, ready to drive it in.

  At that critical moment, a sudden commotion erupted from the nearby Gale Demon lair.

  One by one, slender Gale Demons with batlike wings poured out of the cave. Adults and young alike all knelt devoutly in the same direction, chanting something in unison.

  Karen's brow furrowed as he looked toward the Gale Demons, a flicker of unease rising in his chest.

  The others froze as well, curiosity and confusion written across their faces as they watched the strange scene.

  "What's going on? Do they sense some terrifying presence?"

  A girl whispered, her eyes filled with anxiety as she instinctively moved closer to the person beside her.

  "So these are the Gale Demons? I heard that the females of their species are naturally ethereal. Looks like the rumors are true."

  Someone momentarily forgot the danger and let out a breath of admiration, only to be sharply pulled back by a companion.

  "Don't just stare! The females of the Gale Demons normally stay deep inside the caves to reproduce. They never show themselves. If the entire species has come out to kneel, something monumental must have happened!"

  Karen's expression turned extremely grim as he looked at the countless Gale Demons kneeling at the cave entrance.

  He sensed that something extremely bad was about to happen but could not immediately identify the source of the danger.

  "Forget the Gale Demons! Kill him now and let's leave immediately!" Karen barked, urging them forward.

  Though everyone was filled with doubt and unease, no one dared to disobey Karen. They once again closed in on the unconscious Graham.

  But just as they were about to strike, a colossal wave of shadow magic surged in, instantly engulfing the entire area.

  A terrifying aura locked onto every person present with deadly precision, freezing their limbs so completely that they could not move an inch.

  "What is that thing?" an apprentice stammered, trembling so violently that his teeth chattered.

  "So terrifying!"

  "It's the Demon King! Run! Run now!"

  Some completely broke down, tears streaming uncontrollably, yet there was no way to move.

  Karen was utterly stunned. He could not understand how they had run into a being of Demon King level.

  And the aura radiating from this Demon King, the level of power, was something he had never even heard of, far beyond anything he could comprehend.

  That terrifying figure did not even deliberately release pressure to lock onto them. A single indifferent glance sweeping over from afar was enough to turn Karen, an Intermediate Mage, to stone, unable to move even a fingertip.

  "I want to go home! I want to leave this place!"

  One of the new apprentices completely broke down, his body shaking uncontrollably.

  "This place is too terrifying! I will never come for trials again. I do not want to die here."

  Sobs rose and fell through the forest. Everyone was swallowed by overwhelming fear, and their usual flattery and arrogance vanished without a trace.

  Karen stared hard in the direction where the shadow magic surged. By his estimation, that figure was at least two hundred kilometers away.

  Yet just a trace of shadow magic drifting this far had already dimmed the light across the entire Gale Demon Forest.

  Karen felt like he wanted to die. He had only wanted to take revenge on Graham and set a trap for Allen. How had he run into a boss like this?

  Even more absurd was that someone of this level had actually set their sights on him.

  Why? Had his actions just now angered the other party?

  Just as everyone shut their eyes tight and desperately prayed in their hearts for that Demon King to go away, the development of events became even more outrageous.

  The shadowy demonic energy that filled the sky suddenly began to contract at extreme speed. In the blink of an eye, it crossed a distance of two hundred kilometers and condensed into a black figure that stood steadily before Karen and the others.

  The familiar outline made their pupils shrink sharply as they heard the figure speak.

  "I heard it was you people who spread rumors about me in the academy, slandering me for colluding with the Demon Tribe."

  Allen stood before them, releasing his terrifying aura without restraint. Karen and the others could not stop themselves from trembling all over, the sound of their chattering teeth overlapping one after another.

  Their eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.

  They stared at the Allen in front of them, the so called waste in the academy who was considered to have no magical talent. How could he suddenly become a terrifying Demon King?

  "Allen, you are a Demon?"

  Allen curled his lips into a smile and said,"Congratulations, you got it right. Unfortunately, there is no reward, only punishment."

  "You should never have used my name to spread rumors, and you should never have laid a hand on Graham. Since you did, do not blame me for being ruthless."

  Their minds went blank in an instant. Countless thoughts spun through their heads, yet none of them could make sense of it.

  How could someone who did not even have enough magical affinity suddenly become a Demon King?

  But fear quickly drowned out all their doubts. One by one, they showed pitiful expressions, sobbing as they began to beg for mercy, their change in attitude so fast it was astonishing.

  "Allen! Allen, spare us!"

  One apprentice cried bitterly, struggling desperately to kneel, only to be restrained by the pressure and unable to move.

  "For the sake of us once taking the talent test together and sharing hardships, do not kill us! We will never spread rumors in the academy again. We will never dare again!"

  "Let us go back! We will go to the academy square right away and clarify all the rumors to clear your name!"

  Another apprentice hurried to echo him, wishing he could swear loyalty on the spot.

  Some even went so far as to turn on Karen directly, pointing at him and shouting hoarsely,"Karen forced us to do all of this!"

  "He was the one who made us fabricate rumors and frame you and Graham! Kill him! We promise we will not say a word about what happened today!"