Free Web NovelChapter 74: Malfunction
Despite the glory and honor a mage receives from the normal, non-mage populace, there is one, one major flaw that is incredibly difficult to overcome.
An absolute blind spot in close-quarter combat, supplemented by a single thing only, mana shield.
In fact, this weakness is prevalent not only in human mages, but also in magic creatures such as the monsters and beasts populating this infested island, the fact that a mage’s arcane affinity is always far higher than their bodily strength is something that one cannot deny.
And despite being forces of nature more than capable of dealing with multiple human mages of the same tier, Silver Direwolves share this weakness as well, with all of their bodily strength and ability reaching just a bare half of their arcane abilities. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Meanwhile, the one standing in their opposition is an existence that grows his strength and power not only in terms of mana he can command with his will, but also in terms of the raw, terrifying might that he can command with his own body, a type of combatant that stands in a different class compared to any normal mage.
That’s exactly why the two beasts are completely surprised; those fists landing square on their jaws are attacks that they assume are nothing but a desperate attempt by their opponent to get back at them.
That assumption is something that cannot be further from the truth.
The faint mana barrier they conjured in preparation for the impact of this attack is completely shattered, the punch piercing through their sole line of defense and coming in contact with their body not even a moment later, the force from the punch sending shockwaves all across their skull and shaking their brain violently in the process.
There was no flashy scene, no massive bodies being sent up in the air after the punch lands, no heads exploding as a result of that powerful shock, but the fight is still as brutal and barbaric as it can get.
A loud thud resounded around the area as two massive Silver Direwolves fell to the ground, their heads deformed from the brunt of the final attack they just received, blood flowing down their mouths, creating a small puddle around their heads.
"Huuh..." reigning his strength in, Novus smiles in satisfaction, realizing how fast he had dealt with the threat in front of him, his lips twitching a little bit as he removes the claws still sunken on his shoulders, but the pain matters not for long as a thought formed on his mind.
’I should help Senior Medea—’ before the thought was even completed, he already noticed someone approaching him from a distance, the Sensory Expansion that he had repeatedly used for the duration of his stay on this island telling him that the movements of the one approaching him are a movement that is now all too familiar to him.
"Junior Novus, are you alri— oh my..." landing with a silent, graceful step, a beautiful, yet ever-so-mischievous lady spoke with an obvious trace of worry in her melodious voice, only for her words to stop as she saw the scene in front of her.
Covering her small mouth with her fair hands as if she’s shocked because of what she saw, she easily came to the conclusion of how this fight proceeds, mainly the young man in front of her, her junior, taking advantage of his extreme bodily regeneration to take those two D Tier Silver Direwolves by surprise.
’Still, that doesn’t explain the fact that he basically defeated them in a couple of hits...’ she thought to herself as her thoughts wandered around his strength whenever the two of them spar, a little pout appearing on her face as she stared at him, realizing something.
’How... adorable.’ noticing the little pout on her face, he couldn’t help but let those thoughts appear in his mind, forcibly throwing them out as soon as he consciously noticed them, as he just realized how absurd a thought that is.
"Is there a problem, Senior Medea?" clearing his throat to further drive himself away from such ideas, he asked while still staring at her expression, an incredibly rare one that fades just a moment later as she answers his question.
"You know, I feel like you’re much stronger than what you’ve been showing, Junior Novus~" she said playfully as she took a step back, scanning him from head to toe before nodding to herself, whether it is because she agrees with her own words or for some other reason, he might never know.
"I’m fighting with my life on the line, Senior Medea, of course, my strength will be different from a spar, ever heard of adrenaline?" Novus replies as he shakes his head in dismissal, now wondering why Medea is staring at him so intently right now.
’Damn, I know he’s built well, but not to this level...’ despite only peering through his physique from the torn area of his clothing brought about by the claw attack from those two fallen Silver Direwolves, the thoughts appeared in her mind, only for her to force them out as a demonic whisper began to appear in her mind.
’Let’s try asking him if it is fine to touch it, if we say we’re only interested because of his compatibility with the Blade Enchantment Magic, then there won’t be any problem, right?’ those thoughts were purged as fast as it appears as her civil mind refuses to do so, but the mere idea popping up her mind made her feel like there’s something wrong with her. freēwēbnovel.com
"Hm~ I see, maybe I should actually start going in for the kill whenever we’re sparring so that you draw out a little bit more adrenaline from your body~~" as she finally regains composure of herself, she answered while flashing the sheathed blade on her waist, that playful smile failing to hide from him the burning fire of competitiveness underneath her gentle, teasing gaze.
"Please give me a break." he answered wryly, making her giggle, the two of them agreeing to check on the students ambushed by this massive group of Silver Direwolves.
"Come to think of it, do Silver Direwolves really gather up in such a large pack, Senior Medea?"
"Mn, there are occasions that they build a pack of over thirty Direwolves, but..."
"The Ironhide Bear."
"Mhm, those two beasts are incredibly territorial, so they often fight against each other, so for them to work together..."
"Let’s be a little bit more careful moving forward, Senior Medea."
"Mn."
While the two of them continue with their talks while walking towards the group still fighting the remaining E Tier Silver Direwolves, another group is experiencing a complete headache from the situation.
It is neither a group of monsters nor a group of students, however, this group gathers and operates far away from the infested island.
"Professor Peridot, do you mind saying that again?" as Runia asked the same question for the third time in a row, that suffocating air around the area began turning heavier even more, some of the weaker staff already fainting from the weight of that pressure, no one daring to speak and answer the question, not even the person being addressed.
"T-that... the teleportation array is seemingly malfunctioning, Vice Headmaster."
