A faint smile played on Ain's lips as his tense shoulders finally relaxed, and the magic circle that had materialized in his right hand faded away.
“Whew.”
Ain breathed a sigh of relief.
He no longer intended to use his original plan.
“You know, I actually have dozens of special potions on me that can attract those monsters.”
Under Lillian's worried gaze, Ain took off his coat.
Hanging inside were rows of colored glass bottles, looking like an upside-down sea of colored glaze.
These were all things Ain had brewed in the potionology lab building.
“In the eyes of these monsters, the temptation of this stuff is no different from a peerless, rare mana crystal core. Besides, they've already lost their minds; they're nothing more than a pack of mad dogs that run at the slightest scent.”
Wesley frowned slightly and spoke, “Do you want to lure all the monsters here?”
“Exactly. If I do, it won't matter if you're Tier 5 or Tier 6—you won't be able to handle the monsters of this entire forest at the same time!”
“After all, spells of Tier 5 and above have very long casting times.”
Wesley nodded slightly and replied, “But you will also be besieged by them.”
Ain let out a confident laugh.
“Of course I have other potions to conceal my presence.”
“But I don't plan on using them anymore.”
Ain gently stuffed his warm coat into Lillian's arms, placing the Scale of Astral Judgment into her palm at the same time.
He lowered his eyes, his gaze gentle, gesturing for the girl not to worry.
Ain casually ran a hand through his hair and stretched. When he opened his eyes again, a long-forgotten fire blazed in the depths of his pupils, churning with an almost morbid fervor and madness.
“Because right now...”
“I am absolutely furious at this piece-of-shit game!”
Wesley also raised his wand toward Ain and asked, “Is this your answer?”
Ain also raised his right hand, once again materializing a magic circle.
“Of course.”
Ain recalled that line.
“I cannot ignore the misfortunes of kind people.”
“I cannot stand by and watch the world's ending unfold.”
“As a player...”
“Today, I'm going to get the first perfect ending!”
Ain's words seemed to carry a strange magic, unlocking the gates of Lillian's heart.
The suffering that had once weighed her down to the point of suffocation now miraculously transformed into a strength that propelled her forward.
The despairing thoughts that had gnawed at her in countless dark nights vanished without a trace in this warmth.
【Word Spirit: Prayer】
【Current Target Affected: Lillian Knight】
【Character Status】
【HP: Healthy】
【MP: 1331/1331】
【Currently Usable Magic Tier: Tier 3】
【Positive Effects: Divine Clarity, God-Favored Body, Word Spirit: Prayer】
【Negative Effects: Mana Leakage】
【Mana Source: Scale of Astral Judgment (Switchable)】
【Currently Available Mana: 17317/17331 (Steadily increasing)】
【Scale of Astral Judgment is converting mana values】
【Current Progress: 42%】
“Glacio, frostiĝo... (Ice, freeze.)”
【Tier 3 Magic: Frost Burial Spear】
【MP Consumption: 1150】
Instantly, a deep blue magic circle spun in Ain's palm, and a crystal-clear ice spear materialized.
Strands of white, chilly mist swirled around the shaft, and layers of frost clung to it like blooming thorns, refracting a heart-stopping cold light.
“Didn't you say I have the level of a Tier 6 Mage...”
“Then take a look and see if they can do this!”
For a moment, Wesley felt as if Ain had become a completely different person. He was no longer the calm student from before, but an arrogant madman driven by rage.
His previous words of praise had been nothing more than superficial flattery, devoid of any sincerity.
“You're nothing but a student currently enrolled here, yet you actually dare to dream of challenging—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Wesley froze on the spot.
A strange sense of incongruity crept into his heart. He suddenly realized that the light in this forest had somehow become extremely bizarre.
Why were there dozens of beams of moonlight here?
No!
That wasn't moonlight!
At that moment, the bright moonlight finally pierced through the gloom and poured down.
Wesley's pupils contracted sharply.
Dozens of ice spears hovered quietly in midair, their shafts shimmering with a crystal-clear cold light. Under the illumination of the moon, they refracted a tragically beautiful halo that resembled shattered stars.
Standing not far away, Lillian was also stunned.
She had certainly seen others cast Tier 3 spells before.
But she had never seen anyone materialize more than ten Tier 3 spells simultaneously in such a short amount of time!
Wesley was secretly horrified.
Twenty of them!
And they were all Tier 3!
This was simply impossible!
How could anyone materialize so many Tier 3 magic circles at the same time?!
And how could he possibly possess such a massive amount of mana?!
In a flash of realization, Wesley suddenly thought of the scale in Lillian's hand.
Just now, with only the moonlight to go by, he hadn't been able to clearly see its structure.
But at this very moment, an almost impossible conjecture arose in his heart.
Could that be... the Scale of Astral Judgment?
Sevis actually...!
“Faru la funebron! (Burial!)”
As Ain chanted the final sequence of the incantation, fifteen ice spears transformed in an instant into a reverse blizzard, pouring down toward Wesley with an icy, murderous intent.
“Juĝo, Brilo! (Judgment, Brilliance!)”
“Bloku, ceno! (Lock down, chains!)”
Crimson magic chains erupted from the ground beneath Wesley's feet like bloodthirsty vipers, soaring into the air with ear-piercing screeches as they lashed out to violently crush the twenty ice spears.
The freezing ice spears clashed violently with the crimson iron chains, exploding into a screeching sound of metal grinding against metal. Piercing cold air and violent mana clashed wildly at the point of impact, sending out visible shockwaves in all directions.
But Wesley couldn't construct twenty magic circles in just a few breaths like Ain could.
Although the chains shattered most of the onslaught, seven ice spears still managed to slip through the blind spots of the clash, shooting toward Wesley like seven shooting stars rising against the tide.
“Tsk!”
Wesley summoned several more chains to form a defensive barrier in front of himself, but even so, he had still underestimated the power of these ice spears.
With a crisp crack, the defense of the crimson chains was forcibly blasted open. Wesley's pupils contracted as he retreated rapidly, narrowly dodging a fatal blow.
However, another cold light grazed his shoulder, instantly tearing through his clothing and armor, leaving a gruesome, bone-deep wound that began to ooze beads of blood.
Wesley tightly pressed down on his bleeding right shoulder, the warmth seeping through his fingers failing to snap him out of his daze.
He stared fixedly at Ain in front of him, his eyes filled with nothing but utter shock and bewilderment.
This guy!
Throwing out so much mana in a single instant—is he insane?!
Isn't he afraid of draining his mana pool completely?!
Twenty circles...
Just how on earth did he do this?!
“Whew.”
Ain exhaled a breath of turbid air.
【MP: 12/1331】
【Current Mana Source: Mordred (Switchable)】
【Contract Spirit: Mordred】
【MP: 12/7479 (Slowly increasing)】
He had just used up all the mana from the Scale of Astral Judgment and Mordred in one go.
But he had to admit, the situation was still slightly beyond his expectations.
Once he materialized more than ten Tier 3 spells, the effectiveness of the magic circles formed afterward would drop significantly.
Moreover, he was probably the first mage in history to dump nearly twenty thousand mana in a single breath.
These chains... were quite different from the ones he had seen before.
To think he actually managed to block it.
Ain already had some conjectures in his mind.
Tier 3 spells were still too weak.
Should he expect any less from a Peak Tier 5 Mage?
But so what?
A crazed smile gradually surfaced on Ain's face.
After all, the Goddess's blessing wouldn't consume any of his mana.
【Blessing of the Goddess of Light】
【Status: Active】
【Effect: Mana remains consistently at its maximum limit】
【Damage dealt to you by all monsters is reduced by 50%!】
【Damage dealt to you by all impurities is reduced by 50%!】
【Damage dealt to you by all judgment magic is reduced by 50%!】
【Mana consumption of all magic is reduced by 50%!】
【Actual effectiveness of all magic is increased by 50%!】
【Duration: 10 minutes】
“All right.”
“It's time for me to enter Phase Two.”
Rate on N.U.
