’What the hell... that felt like hitting a damn wall.’
As soon as his fist landed, his hand was screaming in intense agony. Although it produced results, they were owed entirely to the elent of surprise.
Ruvian knew all too well that this was his best chance to thin their numbers with minimal ti and effort.
So he had to do it.
But the pain in his hand was, regrettably, still very much a pain.
’If I’d known it would hurt this much, I would’ve cast [Body Enhancent] first before throwing the punch...’
He thought, at least, that would have reduced the repercussions of the damage a bit. But what was done was done.
"Garrun? Hey. Answer . Are you still there?" Lenwick called out. But there was only a strained, wheezing groan from the pile of broken crates.
"Cursed the Void! I knew this was a bad idea."
Lenwick swore quietly, his eyebrows twitching.
"Oh, spare the hindsight," Vible cut in, already edging backward. "He’s on his feet now, so let’s stop staring and grab him before this turns into a ss... alive, preferably. We can argue about bla after."
She gestured sharply toward Ruvian as she prepared to chant a spell. anwhile, Brask did not wait for further discussion.
"Fine by ."
With a guttural snort, he seized an iron pole propped against a stack of crates and lurched forward. The tal scraped loudly across the floor as he hefted it in both hands, eyes locked on Ruvian as he charged.
’Tch. Fighting soone with a mage at the back is already pushing my luck. And now this guy cos at with a tal pole!’
’Why the hell is there a tal pole next to him in the first place!?’
Ruvian took a few steps backward while imdiately casting another spell.
"Hear , mortal fra. By what is mine to wield, let it magnify beyond its bounds. Transcend this limit."
"[Body Enhancent]"
Mana heeded at his call, spilling outward from his core and wrapping around his body, as if sinking into his muscles and bones.
The change was subtle but undeniable there. His limbs felt lighter, his movents sharper, as if the world around him moved just a little slower.
Firm strength gathered in his fra. Even the ache in his hand dulled, reinforced by a newfound toughness threading through his knuckles.
It was not a dramatic transformation. At best, the enhancent pushed him perhaps one and a quarter beyond his usual limits. A modest increase in speed, strength, and endurance spread evenly across his body.
Useful, but far from overwhelming.
This was still a spell he had yet to truly master—or OG Ruvian to master.
And how could he have?
Despite its reputation as a low-tier spell, [Body Enhancent] was deceptively demanding. It was simple, almost conventional, but simplicity did not always an it was easy.
Unlike burst spells that flared and vanished, this one demanded constant upkeep. Mana had to be fed into it without interruption, shaped and restrained even as his body moved and fought.
Any lapse in control would cause the spell to unravel, and sotis violently.
Because of this, sustaining it required more than raw mana. It depended as much on control as on ntal endurance.
Many learned the chant. But fewer could maintain the spell for long. And fewer still could fight while doing so, especially among the beginners.
Ruvian steadied his breath as he felt the first faint pull on his reserves.
’Even now, I can feel my mana starting to drop.’
’I have to end this fight soon.’
Brask closed the distance with a roar, the iron pole arcing down toward Ruvian’s head.
But Ruvian easily dodged it, shifting his footing to the side, as the pole whistled past his skull. The tal slamd into the floor with a jarring clang, sending a tremor through the warehouse.
Before Brask could recover, Ruvian was already moving, slipping inside the man’s reach, one hand brushing the pole aside while the other struck sharply at Brask’s ribs.
The hit was strong enough to disrupt his breathing.
’...No. It’s still weak. I should’ve gone for more power there.’
"Y-you!"
Although it was a weak strike, yet, he was still in so sort of pain.
Ruvian pulled back at once, never staying too long on one threat. His gaze shifted, catching Vible at the edge of his vision.
He could feel a subtle amount of mana gathered at her palm, ready to launch anyti, but instead, she was waiting for an opening.
’She’s preparing a range attack spell...’ Ruvian noted.
Another glance confird Lenwick crouched beside Garrun, shaking him roughly.
Ruvian returned his focus forward.
That was when he saw Brask snarled and swung, wider this ti, and faster. But again... Ruvian easily ducked under the sweep, the pole grazing the air above his shoulders.
"Hit him, you idiot! Stop swinging like a drunk and actually aim!" Vible snapped, frustration bleeding into her voice.
"Shut it!" Brask barked back, wrenching the pole free and charging again.
"I’m trying! But he keeps slipping away!"
"That’s because you’re giving him openings! Hold him still for one second and I’ll put him down with my lightning!"
’She is preparing a lightning spell!?’
Brask answered with another reckless charge, rage driving his steps now. The pole ca down in a brutal overhead strike.
However, Ruvian didn’t dodge it this ti. He stumbled instead, letting his shoulder dip as though he had mistid his step.
Vible’s eyes sharpened at the small motion.
"There!" she hissed, seizing the opening she had been waiting for.
Mana burst forth at her palm, and the spell discharged in a sharp crack of blue light. A bolt of lightning tore across the warehouse, bright and fast, aid squarely at Ruvian.
But at that mont, Ruvian moved at the last brink of impact.
He twisted, sliding past Brask’s advance, and hooked his arm around the iron pole, wrenching it sideways with all the enhanced strength his body could muster.
"What the—"
The sudden shift dragged Brask forward, directly into the path of the spell. And the lightning struck the tal.
"URGHHH!!!"
The pole flared white-hot for an instant, and the charge coursed straight into Brask’s body. His scream tore out of him as his muscles locked.
The sll of scorched cloth and flesh filled the air as he convulsed helplessly.
Shortly after, Brask collapsed in a heap, the pole clattering uselessly across the floor as smoke curled from his body.
Vible stared in sheer disbelief.
"You idiot!" she spat, fury and shock twisting her face. Her gaze snapped back to Ruvian, sharp and wary now.
"You... You’re not an ordinary mage, are you? How did you move like that?"
"Just... w-who the hell are you!?" she demanded.
Ruvian straightened slowly, the last tremors of [Body Enhancent] humming through his fra as his eyes t hers.
’Huh? What did she an? I’m perfectly ordinary.’
His face turned dark as he stepped closer to her.
"Who I am is irrelevant. It won’t help you..."
──────── ✦ ────────
[Chapter 19: In The Slightest]
A/N: I’m still waiting for this book to be contracted, already applied 7 days ago. Once it is contracted, I will release 2 Chapters daily.
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