Reader Mage 73-Who Is She?

rlin felt like he must have sounded insane to Janeth with those words of his, but he had not been joking. That was really his plan. If his intention had been to stay a safe distance away and deconstruct whatever magic the beasts were using, then maybe he would have co up with sothing better. But his current mode of action was reliant on his fists. And that was where the problem ca. If the Ice Wyverns remained in the sky, it would be nigh impossible for him to fight them on equal footing. So, on second thoughts, he did have a plan.

“We have to take out their wings,” he said. “That way we bring them to the ground and make them fight on our terms.”

Janeth nodded. “That sounds…reasonable. I should have thought of that.”

rlin glanced at her. “You defeated a C-Rank monster on your own. You definitely took the better course of action. If you had been focused on trying to cut down their wings alone, we most likely would still be threatened by twenty Ice Wyverns right now.”

“Yeah,” she replied simply, obviously not falling for that pity statent of his.

rlin left the matter there. He had questions running through his head concerning all he’d just witnessed from her, but he couldn’t ask. Not here, and probably not ever. There had to be a reason she had kept it all to herself. And, for so reason, he felt like it was all related to why she considered herself a ss.

He would really like to reassure her about whatever she was going through, but it was not his place to pry.

Whenever she was willing to talk to him about what was running through her mind, he would be all ears. And that was why he couldn’t look at her. It was the only way he could hold himself back.

The Ice Wyverns had enough of the stare down then and readied their next attacks, ice shards jutting out of their magic circles. rlin had thought that they would have rushed at the weaker individuals by now, but it seed he had mistaken monsters for barbarians. They most likely sought out the strongest in an area instinctively. Perhaps after that then they would strike down the weaker ones.

Whatever the case was, it didn’t matter—not now.

“Janeth,” rlin began, tensing his muscles, readying himself to move. “There’s no possibility that you can fly, right?”

Janeth was silent for half a second. He wondered what expression she wore. His question must have been weird. But, well, she had surprised him once already, there was always a chance for another.

“No, I can’t fly, rlin.”

Figures. If not she would have been in the sky all this while. And that ant he had no choice but to risk himself.

“I’m going to take out their wings and bring them down,” rlin said. “Cut them when that happens. I’ll join you as soon as I’m done up above.”

Janeth paused. “You can fly?”

rlin smiled. “No. I can just jump really high.” He noticed Janeth’s eyes twitch as she was standing by his side now, but he didn’t let that derail him from the beasts above. The Ice Wyverns were ready, and so was rlin. “I’m going in!”

[Perk: Reader’s Bookmark Activated]

[Bookmarks (1): Flash Step (Requires at least 190 milliseconds reaction ti to function)]

[Conditions to function t: Agility Level: Level 16 (190ms reaction ti)]

[Intelligence Level is low; effectiveness will be reduced]

[Bookmark: Flash Step, Chosen.]

[Bookmark: Flash Step, Activated.]

rlin released the weight on his shoulders, freeing his muscles, and lightening his legs. The Ice Wyverns sent forth their attacks, this ti remaining above as they did, unlike when they had battled Janeth. rlin had a plan, though, and as he blinked away from Janeth’s side, he gleaned through the rows of shelves in his brain in nothing more than a second, recalling a certain personal skill Kieran had possessed in Singularity Mage, just like [Flash Step].

The protagonist had found a way to utilize his mana unlike any other Mage, granting him the ability to lift himself so high from the ground it seed like he was flying. rlin was unsure if that would register in his Reader’s Bookmark since, even though it was technically a movent skill, it required the use of mana, unlike [Flash Step]. But dire situations called for rash actions. And if it didn’t work, he had a plan B.

However…

[Sufficient knowledge on the movent skill: Mana Spring, acquired]

[Skill: Mana Spring has been registered in Bookmark]

[Bookmarks (2): Flash Step (Activated)(Requires at least 190 milliseconds reaction ti to function). Mana Spring (Requires at least Level 10 Strength, Level 15 Agility, and Level 20 Resilience to function)]

[Conditions to function t: Strength Level: Level 12. Agility Level: Level 16. Resilience Level: Level 26]

[Intelligence Level is low; effectiveness will be reduced]

[Bookmark: Mana Spring, Chosen.]

[Bookmark: Mana Spring, Activated.]

rlin felt so ecstatic it was almost like he was on top of the world. But he didn’t have the ti to bask in his inner emotions. An ice shard planted itself into the ground before him as he swiftly angled his steps and halted for a brief second just shy of its range. Imdiately, he jumped onto the shard and ran its height. The rest of the incoming shards were upon him then, but he remained unfazed. This was where things got interesting.

Channel mana to your feet, imagining a spring…

rlin felt his mana move as he commanded; they found their way to his feet and coiled until there were blue springs beneath them. He lowered his center of gravity, pressed his weight to his feet, and let loose. The ice shard he was standing on shattered into pieces as he burst through the air, the wind harsh against his skin, cold, and unwelcoming.

rlin gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and smashed through whichever ice shard made it towards him as he tried to regulate his speed. That was the con about using [Mana Spring]. It served as a boost to propel one into the air, but there were no footholds up above. If rlin didn’t control how fast he was moving, he would go too high, and the higher he went, the worse his landing would be. In the worst case scenario, he would break every single bone in his body.

But… He had footholds. Nineteen of them.

Destroying the last ice shard that found him, rlin flashed into view before the closest Ice Wyvern. The beast flinched—he saw it flinched. And he wasn’t surprised. He had been moving so fast that they would obviously be unable to react to him. Not giving the beast ample ti to retreat, rlin caught one of the jagged spikes hanging from its back, breaking his flight, and flinging himself onto it. There was a loud screech from both his prey and its companions. But only a fool would let sothing like that destroy their mission. And rlin was no fool.

He pumled.

It was only common sense that objects of the air were ruled by their wings. Without it, they couldn’t do what they were known for: fly. However, the wings were the most delicate parts of their body. It was strong enough to withstand their weights, but it was also the least protected by scales—if they had one. After all, wings and their muscles had to be a fraction of the overall body weight in order for flight to be achieved.

But… rlin had not been expecting it to be so weak.

He struck it once, and his hand blasted a hole through, drawing out a cry of pain from the beast under him. In an instant, it started to crash down, losing function of its flight capabilities.

Oh, well…

rlin turned his attention to the next Ice Wyvern closest to him.

The beasts were careful of shooting their shards at him because he was seated atop one of their companions, and he had taken that into consideration before deciding to move on the offensive. After all, C-Rank beasts and above were quite smart and rather protective of their own.

rlin used [Mana Spring] and propelled himself to the next as his previous prey sank to the ground below. He thought about looking down to see how Janeth dealt with it, but his focus was needed in the air, and he left it there.

One by one, despite the tingling sensation he could feel in his muscles begging him to slow down, he rushed at the Ice Wyverns, throwing them into sothing of a disarray. The job was so easy that a smile had crept on his lips unknowingly, and sothing he classified as a cheer was carried by the cold wind into his ears.

It was a stupid thought, but soone was making a video of his fight, weren’t they? Goodness… He couldn’t believe he was actually holding his own against C-Rank monsters. Granted he was not actually fighting them, and all on his own too, but the fact that he could deal them damage was so surprising to him that he would have lost his mind if only he wasn’t so engaged.

rlin landed on the nape of his fourth Ice Wyvern and with a deep breath sent his fists crashing into its wing. It cried out as it began to descend, and rlin turned his attention to the fifteen beasts that remained. They just hovered staring right back at him where he stood, uncertainty of their next move etched on their faces.

They didn’t know theirs, but he knew his.

rlin once again prepared [Mana Spring] to move to his next prey, but then, the tingling enhanced. His body suddenly froze as a sharp pang stord his chest. rlin coughed, blood spilling out of his mouth, as he held onto the spike jutting out of the Ice Wyvern whose back he was still on. His mana that had wrapped itself around his fists vanished in an instant.

My body heat… I was not producing more than I was spending.

rlin glanced up, the cold wind biting at his skin as he and the Ice Wyvern he was on ca tumbling down. The rest of the beasts above knew it—that he was exhausted and possibly out of the battle, and they all imdiately screeched in response, seemingly alerting the Ice Wyvern he was on, as the beast began to thrash around, regaining so semblance of fighting spirit.

rlin imdiately jumped off its back as it crashed to the ground, ice debris and sand dust filling the air in an unruly combination. He rolled out of the way, putting a considerable distance between him and the beast, but his legs gave out after that last move of his. He was completely devoid of strength.

“rlin!” Janeth called, aware of his plight but preoccupied by the beasts she was taking on to rush to his aid. Every single one had cuts on their bodies, but none had been put down.

rlin gritted his teeth as he suddenly felt a wave of cold air wash over him from high above. He turned back to the sky and his gaze found a congestion of ice spikes staring back down at him. His throat burned.

Janeth noticed what was about to happen and she tried to hurry in his direction, but the Ice Wyvern he had brought down with himself swiftly blocked her path, and in the brief second she paused, she was surrounded by the rest of the Ice Wyverns who couldn’t take flight any longer.

rlin bit his lower lip, the tallic taste of his blood filling his tongue.

Really? Was this the extent of his strength, of his abilities? This was both laughable and pitiful. How could the defeat of the Cataclysm be entrusted to soone as weak as he was, soone who couldn’t even take on re C-Rank beasts? This was completely unacceptable. He was an utter failure.

However, rlin had no intention of dying here. He pushed himself up to his feet groggily, all the pain he hadn’t been feeling as adrenaline pumped through his body rushing in all at once. His legs ached, his hands ached, and his head felt like it had been punctured by countless needles. But he moved regardless, and channeled his mana to his hands. He could still go on for a bit more. After all…

[All Progress increased by 50%]

[Progress to leveling up Strength: 4.75%/100%] → [54.75%/100%]

[Progress to leveling up Agility: 29%/100%] → [79%/100%]

[Progress to leveling up Intelligence: 85%/100%] → [35%/100%]

[Progress to leveling up Perception: 31.5%/100%] → [81.5%/100%]

[Progress to leveling up Resilience: 93.5%/100%] → [43.5%/100%]

[Free Attribute Points received: 0] → [100]

[Intelligence has leveled up!]

[Resilience has leveled up!]

[Intelligence Level 8 → Level 9]

[Resilience Level 26 → Level 27]

The System was generous with its gifts, and despite rlin feeling quite reinvigorated, his body was not completely healed. Every one of his muscles still ached. His standoff with the Ice Wyverns was unlike anything he had done before. But, with the free Attribute Points he had received, he could do what he had in mind and not die after.

He narrowed his eyes at the Ice Wyverns above and activated Reader Mage.

[Perk: Reader Mage Activated]

[Analyzing spell…]

[Analysis complete]

[Spell: Ice Spikes Barrage.

Category: Advanced, Tier I.

Spell Wielder: Multiple C-Rank Monsters.

Spell Description: A spell ford by the congestion of Ice Spikes into a singular destructive wave of ice.]

[Deconstructing Process: Ice is water vapor frozen, and ice cannot survive in the presence of overwhelming heat. Fuel your mana with your body heat and tamper with the temperature of the spell. Warning. The spell is deconstructible, but body heat will be significantly degraded. Best case scenario, death cos knocking. Worst case scenario, death in an instant. Caution is advised.]

If he did nothing, he was going to die either way. He saw no reason for him to hold back. He could only hope that assigning his free Attribute Points to his Resilience imdiately after deconstructing the spell would at least keep him away from death’s door.

rlin stretched forth his hand to the sky above.

“rlin!” Janeth scread, still occupied by the wingless Ice Wyverns, but this ti with a lot more urgency in her voice. “Get out of there! Hurry! Run away!”

They would just redirect the spikes in his direction if he did that. In other words, he would be sending civilians to their death. This was his best option.

[Deconstruct?]

[Yes?]/[No?]

The Ice Wyverns screeched and rlin made up his mind. However, just before the spikes could rain down, or he could reply to the System’s question, sothing rlin couldn’t explain happened, and all so quickly that he froze where he stood.

A bird unable to control its flight, supposedly due to how cold the atmosphere had beco, wandered into the eye of one of the Ice Wyverns, freezing instantly, and blinding the beast. The Ice Wyvern screeched, shaking its head, and the ice spikes it had contributed to form the ice barrage, was released at the Ice Wyvern closest to it, killing it an instant.

Understanding what it had done, the beast thrashed about even more violently and slamd itself into another closest to it, destabilizing it, which in return destabilized the rest. And before rlin could register what was going on, the Ice Wyverns were attacking one another.

rlin’s thoughts froze and his hands fell to his side. Loud murmurs broke amongst the people who were far away from the battle area, and the Ice Wyverns surrounding Janeth, took their attention away from her, confused as well as to what their peers were doing. Janeth had a long look on her face as she watched, sword in hand and her once-beautiful gown turned ragged.

It was all an eerie developnt that confused both man and monster alike.

rlin frowned. “What’s happening?” he muttered.

“You’re really an interesting one,” a soft voice said suddenly behind him as a tender hand crept over his shoulder like a slithering snake. rlin’s breath ceased as he felt ti slow down. He had never heard this person’s voice before. Who were they? He wanted to turn—to look. But he felt like if he made the mistake of turning his head, he would lose it. “Your presence here ruined everything. But it’s fine. I got to witness sothing spectacular. I’m sure he’ll be excited to hear all about you.” rlin swallowed dryly, his fists clenching as he felt the person’s breath close in on his ear. “Don’t disappoint us, Deficient Mage, rlin Tyrrell. Till we et again.”

The hand moved away slowly, and rlin regained control of his body.

The blue vests of the Consortium Mages flashed into view then, a loud cheer following swiftly as they deftly took their positions and let their magics loose, easily subduing the beasts that rlin and Janeth had almost t their demise to.

However, the flashy battle didn’t entice rlin one bit. He imdiately turned around, throwing his gaze everywhere as he sought out the person who had just spoken to him. It was more than obvious that whoever that person was, they were the ones who had caused whatever maniacal behavior had struck the Ice Wyverns.

How had they known his na though? And what had they ant by what they’d said? Were they the ones who caused the Dungeon Break as well? How? Why?

rlin had so many questions, but no one to ask. After all, he saw no one who stood out in the crowd… Until, he did. Vanishing from sight between a cluster of people was a lithe lady dressed completely in black leather. rlin couldn’t see her face, but he intuitively knew that she was the one he was seeking.

His heart raced.

Who is she?