Chapter 49: Pushed Too Far


    "Phil, what’s going on? Who is this guy?"


    Everyone knew that Shangque was pursuing Phil, but now Phil was publicly confessing her feelings to some unknown kid. No matter who you were, witnessing something like this would leave a bitter taste in your mouth.


    The only difference was that Han Ming, the person at the center of this drama, had no desire to be involved. It wasn’t that he was afraid of the so-called top student of the Magic Academy; he simply didn’t want to stir up unnecessary trouble. It wasn’t worth it.


    Phil frowned slightly, clearly annoyed. "What I do is none of your business. Go find somewhere else to cool off."


    Shangque’s expression darkened. He glanced at Han Ming dismissively before turning back to Phil. "Trash like him is everywhere. What’s so special about him? In terms of strength or looks, how am I inferior to him? Are you doing this just to spite me?"


    "Phil, stop being stubborn. I know I was wrong last time. I’m sorry."


    Shangque grabbed Phil’s arm, his face filled with tenderness. It was as if Han Ming didn’t exist in his eyes. To him, Phil was the only one that mattered.


    Phil shook off Shangque’s hand and glared at him. "Stay out of my business. Apologize to me? What am I to you? I don’t need your apology."


    Shangque whispered something to Phil, causing her to occasionally laugh or glare at him. It seemed she was starting to forgive him.


    Whatever history these two had, Han Ming didn’t care. But now, he was genuinely annoyed.


    So, this woman was just using me as a pawn.


    Even though I didn’t accept her so-called confession, why drag me into your lovers’ quarrel?


    Any slight好感 Han Ming had for Phil vanished at that moment.


    From what he’d heard, Phil hadn’t accepted Shangque’s advances, but judging by their current interaction, there was definitely something between them.


    Han Ming chuckled softly and turned to leave.


    Today’s events were far from what he had wanted. Phil had suddenly shown up, confessing her feelings to him in front of the Magic Academy’s gates, even holding up a giant sign with his name on it, drawing a crowd.


    And now, this guy Shangque shows up, calling me trash, while Phil not only doesn’t defend me but instead gets cozy with him in public.


    What did I do to deserve this? Han Ming thought helplessly.


    "Hey, buddy. Leaving so soon? Why not stick around and have some fun? If you’re brave enough to steal Shangque’s woman, you must have some skills. How about a little sparring?"


    The carefree third-ranked student of the Magic Academy, Huangying, clearly wasn’t going to let Han Ming leave without a fight.


    Han Ming didn’t bother responding, continuing to walk away. He knew there was no point in staying.


    He wasn’t running away. Today’s mess had nothing to do with him. A couple’s quarrel had dragged him into the middle, and no matter what he did, he’d just end up being the clown in their drama.


    And Han Ming had no interest in being anyone’s entertainment.


    Whoosh!


    A faint whistling sound came from behind.


    Han Ming sensed danger and instinctively dodged to the side. His time in the Water God’s Cave on the underground island, facing countless skeleton soldiers, had honed his ability to sense danger before it struck.


    A wind blade narrowly missed Han Ming’s shoulder. Despite his efforts to dodge, the blade was too fast.


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    By the time Han Ming sensed it, the wind blade was already upon him.


    Blood trickled down his arm.


    Han Ming turned around angrily to see Huangying grinning at him. That wind blade had been his doing.


    Han Ming placed a hand over the wound on his arm, a faint blue light flickering as he used water elemental healing magic.


    "Oh! So you’re a water mage. No wonder you’re so bold. Hahaha…"


    Huangying laughed mockingly when he saw Han Ming using water healing magic. He had initially thought Han Ming must have some skill to dare pursue Phil, the top student of the Military Academy. But it turned out Han Ming was just a water mage, the most underwhelming of all mage classes.


    Han Ming narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly, "First, this woman Phil pursued me, and I didn’t accept her. Second, don’t drag me into your lovers’ quarrel. I’m not interested."


    Phil had clearly seen Huangying’s sneak attack but hadn’t stopped him. It wasn’t that she was cold-hearted; she was curious about Han Ming’s strength. But when she saw he was a water mage, she sighed in disappointment. She had only known Han Ming was a mage, not that he was a water mage.


    "Enough, Huangying. Don’t cause trouble." Truthfully, Phil had initially been intrigued by Han Ming. She hadn’t accepted Shangque’s advances, but now, seeing Han Ming’s reaction, she was disappointed. She thought Han Ming was showing weakness, retreating. In her eyes, a man could lack strength or come from a humble background, but he couldn’t lack backbone.


    Faced with a rival’s provocation, Han Ming hadn’t fought back but instead tried to retreat. In that moment, Phil’s impression of Han Ming took a nosedive. She realized that no matter how much she liked him, there was no future for them. Now, looking at Shangque, with his strength and noble background, he seemed more appealing. Not that she cared about his strength or background.


    But in this situation, Shangque had bravely stepped forward, gently confessing his feelings to her. That was the mark of a real man. She believed feelings could be nurtured over time. Love at first sight was just a fleeting illusion. What she didn’t realize was that Han Ming had never pursued her; from the start, he had been unwillingly dragged into this mess.


    To Han Ming, Shangque wasn’t even a rival.


    "Come on, it’s just a bit of fun. Don’t worry, I won’t cripple the kid." Huangying grinned at Phil, whom he saw as his future sister-in-law, showing no intention of backing down.


    "Kid, here’s your chance. Apologize to Shangque, and you can leave. It’s not an unreasonable request."


    Zhanhu, who had remained silent until now, tried to mediate.


    Han Ming couldn’t help but laugh at their antics.


    "Listen up. From the start, this woman Phil has been harassing me. I’ve been trying to avoid her. Now you show up and demand I apologize? If anyone should apologize, it’s Phil and the three of you."


    Zhanhu’s expression turned cold at Han Ming’s words. In his eyes, Han Ming was being ungrateful. He had tried to give Han Ming an out, but instead, Han Ming had become defiant.


    Huangying chuckled. "See that, Zhanhu? He’s not grateful."


    Zhanhu shook his head helplessly and took a step back. To the observant, this signaled that he was letting Huangying have his way with Han Ming.


    Huangying glanced at Shangque for approval, but Shangque ignored him entirely, his attention solely on Phil.


    "Let’s just go," Phil sighed, no longer looking at Han Ming as she left with Shangque. She was thoroughly disappointed in Han Ming.


    Seeing this, Huangying became even bolder. He grinned at Han Ming and said, "Since you didn’t take Zhanhu’s offer, here’s my condition: in front of everyone, shout three times, ‘I’m not worthy of Senior Phil. I’m a toad lusting after swan meat.’ Then I’ll let you go."


    Han Ming stared coldly at Huangying. "And if I don’t?"


    Huangying shrugged and, without another word, launched another wind blade.


    Han Ming, seeing Huangying attack without hesitation, lost his patience. He quickly conjured a thin water shield.


    Over the past year, Han Ming had familiarized himself with the properties of water magic, practicing various spells repeatedly. Combined with his unique physique and exceptional sensitivity to water elements, he could now cast basic water spells like the water shield with ease.


    The wind blade was incredibly fast, but Han Ming’s ability to conjure a water shield in an instant still surprised Huangying. However, Huangying quickly dismissed it. Water magic was, after all, the most underwhelming of all elements. He wasn’t worried.


    As expected, the wind blade from Huangying, the third-ranked student of the Magic Academy and a fifth-tier Wind Great Mage, was no joke. It could slice through steel.


    The moment the wind blade touched Han Ming’s water shield, the shield shattered. Han Ming had anticipated this.


    As soon as the wind blade made contact with the water shield, Han Ming instantly conjured a small ice shield, an upgraded version of the water shield. However, as a first-tier ninth-tier mage, his ice shield was still thin and weak.


    The wind blade cut through the ice shield, though its power was significantly reduced. Han Ming managed to dodge, but the blade still grazed his arm, leaving a bloody gash. He quickly applied water healing magic to the wound.


    "Not bad," Huangying said, impressed despite himself. "I underestimated you. To conjure both a water shield and an ice shield in such a short time—your sensitivity to water elements is remarkable. I’ll admit that. It’s a shame you’re a water mage. In a few years, you might’ve actually been a worthy opponent."


    Han Ming’s face darkened as he continued healing himself. He thought bitterly, *If only I had learned the Water God’s Art. If I could use its first form, ‘Extreme Freeze,’ to create an ice shield, Huangying’s wind blade wouldn’t have cut through it so easily. The ice shield I conjure now is just slightly harder than regular ice, nothing compared to the ice described in the Water God’s Art, which even fire can’t melt.*


    Learning the Water God’s Art had become an urgent priority.