I Made Up Forbidden Spells, and They Actually Worked?

Whizz—

A sudden slicing sound tore through the air—a dagger, fast as an arrow, shot toward Dean Bruce with unrelenting speed, aiming directly for him.

The sheer terror and iciness of the killing intent sent shivers down the spines of Hannah Fields and the other faction leaders, filling them with a deep, instinctive fear.

But Dean Bruce had already cast his Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain spell, turning his body as hard as a rock just before the dagger could strike.

If only he\'d had a split second more, he could\'ve countered with his Blood for Blood spell to show this hidden attacker exactly what he was capable of!

Clang!

The dagger struck Dean Bruce\'s body with a force akin to hitting solid steel and bounced away.

Everyone in the hall froze in astonishment.

That single attack, although not aimed at them, had struck terror into their hearts, revealing just how powerful it was.

But Dean Bruce hadn\'t taken a scratch—just how powerful was he?

Even Hannah Fields looked on with newfound admiration. After becoming his disciple, she hoped her teacher would prove to be formidable!

Clap, clap, clap!

A sharp clapping sound echoed through the hall. Suddenly, a figure appeared in the distance, seemingly materializing from thin air.

Dean Bruce\'s gaze sharpened with intensity.

It was none other than the leader from the Nine Provinces Alliance!

So his suspicions were correct—this man knew of the assassination attempt on him.

"Tsk, tsk. Originally, I\'d planned to take you out when you were alone. I didn\'t expect these people to be so worthless, struggling even to make it past the second level," the man sneered. "Since they\'re all trash, let\'s finish them off right here!"

At this, a wave of fury swept over the young adventurers, who all glared at him with rage in their eyes.

Dean Bruce, however, remained calm, asking, "And who exactly are you?"

"Who am I?" the man sneered with a smirk. "I\'m the one who\'s here to kill you!"

Without another word, the man flipped his wrist, revealing another dagger glinting coldly in his hand. This time, he didn\'t throw it; instead, he shot forward like lightning toward Dean Bruce, his icy voice ringing out: "Remember this—the one who kills you is Noib Rat!"

"Snake\'s Bite!"

Before Noib Rat could get too close, he slashed his dagger in the air, and three phantom snakes materialized in a flash of purple light, their jaws open as they spat streams of green venom toward Dean Bruce.

Hearing that Noib Rat\'s attack involved poison, Dean Bruce immediately became vigilant. Even though Noib Rat\'s strength didn\'t feel particularly overwhelming, he wasn\'t about to take the attack head-on.

Switching his Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain spell to wind mode, he summoned a fierce gust that blew the green venom straight back at Noib Rat.

Noib Rat, momentarily surprised, dodged with a quick shift, creating over a dozen shadow clones in an instant.

Hissss

The venom splattered onto one of the clones, melting it instantly.

But in the next moment, Noib Rat\'s assault resumed, with all his clones flashing toward Dean Bruce, their daggers poised to strike from every direction.

The sight of this flurry of attacks even caused some of the onlookers to close their eyes.

Yet, with his previous preparation, Dean Bruce had his Blood for Blood spell primed and ready. He shifted Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain to earth mode, activating Thousand Mountains Fortress.

Clang, clang, clang—

In an instant, the sound of daggers striking stone rang out in rapid succession, and Blood for Blood absorbed all the damage.

"What?!"

"No way!" Noib Rat\'s eyes widened in shock as he saw Dean Bruce emerge unscathed. "Even a Grand Magus would be critically wounded by that attack! How could you withstand it? You\'re just a…"

Before he could finish, Dean Bruce opened his eyes, and the Blood for Blood spell exploded in a burst of crimson light. The terrifying energy sent Noib Rat flying backward.

The rebounded damage tore through his skin, leaving gashes all over his body as if he had been struck by his own dagger. Blood trickled down, leaving him wounded and exposed.

The entire hall fell silent, everyone in stunned disbelief.

People knew of spells that reflected damage, but to mirror the exact damage with wounds that perfectly matched the original attack? That was unheard of.

Moreover, the battle had been swift and seemingly effortless for Dean Bruce, who had remained calm throughout, utterly dominating Noib Rat. His power left everyone astounded.

"No wonder he\'s an Elder of the Magic Guild! He may look young, but his strength is incredible!"

"Noib Rat\'s power was easily on the level of a Grand Magus—a formidable opponent anywhere. I didn\'t expect him to be defeated so quickly!"

"It\'s terrifying! He\'s a mage, isn\'t he? Shouldn\'t his body be frail? Yet he just took those hits as if it was nothing!"

"Could he be some legendary Archmage who\'s regained his youthful appearance? I\'ve never heard of anyone this powerful before…"

As murmurs and gasps filled the hall, Dean Bruce ignored them. With a calm expression, he flew forward and grabbed Noib Rat\'s limp body.

Truth be told, defeating a Grand Magus-level fighter, especially a martial artist, would normally require more time.

However, Noib Rat had recklessly unleashed a fatal attack, which Blood for Blood reflected back, leaving him severely injured and unconscious.

Noticing this, Dean Bruce glanced around the room. With the sand nearly engulfing the area, he decided not to delay any further. He flew straight toward the golden golem, which was still on the offensive.

Since Dean Bruce was airborne, the golden golem couldn\'t detect him, allowing him to reach the key embedded in its back unnoticed.

Buzz—

As soon as he pulled the key out, the golem froze, lowering its head and becoming as still as a statue once more.

"What the hell?!"

"What just happened? The moment we got near that golem, it attacked us, yet he managed to sneak right up and pull the key out?"

"How… how did he do that?"

"What level does he have to be?!"

The others didn\'t understand the golem\'s mechanism, and seeing this was even more shocking than when Dean Bruce defeated Noib Rat. Their gazes now reflected awe and admiration.

Without hesitation, Dean Bruce held Noib Rat in one hand and the key in the other as he flew to the elevator platform and inserted the key into the mechanism.

Click—

The sound of the unlocking mechanism was clear, and the handle became smooth and easy to turn.

"Master, Master, wait for me!"

At that moment, Prolo Hawthorne snapped out of his shock, howling as he led his group to join Dean Bruce.

Meanwhile, the rest of the adventurers hesitantly edged closer to the elevator platform, keeping wary eyes on Dean Bruce.

A single glance from Dean Bruce stopped them in their tracks.

Why would he let others pass using the key he had retrieved?

Besides, there was still time left before the sand fully covered this level. Once Dean Bruce and his group moved on, the others would still have a chance.

Dean Bruce\'s only focus now was to reach the third level quickly, where Prolo Hawthorne and his team could continue their adventure while he interrogated Noib Rat.

Trying if we can get more information from Noib Rat \'s mouth

After all, Alita Miller was his main source for many of the critical details he knew, but he needed more answers.

The woman was calculating, and her words couldn\'t be trusted entirely. Since Noib Rat had conveniently delivered himself, it would be a shame not to extract some useful information from him.

Regaining his focus, Dean Bruce waited until Hannah Fields, Prolo Hawthorne, and the others stepped onto the elevator platform. Without hesitation, he pulled the lever, triggering the mechanism.

Rumble—

With a loud roar, the platform began to rise rapidly, causing Prolo Hawthorne and his group to stagger and nearly lose their balance.

Soon, the platform stabilized, and they found themselves in a new hall.

The setting was similar to the previous one, but this time there was a raised platform, upon which lay about a hundred glowing meditation mats.

After a quick scan of the area, Dean Bruce and his group stepped off the elevator. Another rumble followed as the platform descended back down.

Turning to Prolo Hawthorne and his team, Dean Bruce remarked, "You all did well, but you\'re too heavy-handed. Next time you encounter golems or traps, remember to think—use your brains to find solutions!"

"Hannah, stay with them. I have something to take care of," he added.

After speaking, Dean Bruce\'s eyes glinted as he activated the Blue Shadow Ring, summoning a clone.

With the clone present, Dean Bruce would be able to monitor their location and status at all times.

Without waiting for Hannah Fields or the others to respond, he took off, carrying the unconscious Noib Rat with him.

As they watched Dean Bruce\'s figure disappear into the distance, everyone looked at each other in stunned silence. Prolo Hawthorne and his group, especially, were in complete shock.

They had seen portraits of Hannah Fields before and easily recognized her identity. Realizing that Dean Bruce could give orders to a Saintess of the Church of Light left them utterly speechless.

At that moment, they all had one single thought: they had to cling to Dean Bruce for dear life!