Chapter 243: The Treacherous Mist (3)
[Edvoss’s POV]
Running his gloved hand across the ground, Edvoss carefully examined every inch of the surrounding land in search for any trace left behind by the scholars. However, he found nothing. The soil still retained the subtle impressions of an [Earth Shelter] spell, though the shelter itself was nowhere to be found.
"Looks like I’m too late...."
"They’ve already been taken."
He straightened to his full height, letting out a soft sigh before the sudden crackle of his communicator bracelet cut him off.
"Hey, Edvoss. What’s your situation over there? Did you find the scholars yet?"
It was another instructor’s voice.
Edvoss rubbed the back of his ear as he replied, "No, I was late. That Voidspawn already took the scholars with it."
The other side of the communicator fell silent for a moment.
Then Edvoss continued, "But don’t worry... the bracelet enchantments will keep them alive. That creature won’t be able to kill them there."
"...I know," the other instructor finally replied, sounding less certain. "Still, be prepared. The moment the bracelet enchantments activate, you’ll have to—"
"I know."
Edvoss cut in, sharply.
"The moment they return, I’ll put it down."
The Voidspawn that had trapped the scholars was unlike most of its kind. Before coming to Vazrun Island, Edvoss had already studied everything the academy knew about the creature, memorizing every record and report they had managed to gather.
The beast was difficult to find, but not impossible to kill.
The scholars’ bracelets carried a protective enchantment. Once activated, it would keep them alive for around 20 minutes while suppressing nearby Voidspawn abilities for a brief moment.
And that brief moment was enough.
The ability suppression would force both the scholars and the creature out of its hidden realm, leaving it exposed before it could warp away again.
Edvoss only needed that single opening; the moment the creature appeared, he would kill it before it had the chance to disappear once more.
That had always been the plan.
"Then, we’ll leave the rest to you."
Edvoss simply nodded, his gaze fixed on the empty clearing shrouded in darkness, waiting for the scholars and the beast to appear.
*****
[Ruvian’s POV]
A massive fist, the size of a boulder, shot toward his flank with terrifying speed. Barely managing to react, Ruvian hastily cast [Magic Barrier] to intercept the blow, yet it was nowhere near enough. The barrier shattered on impact, the fist bursting straight through.
Still, it had bought him the split second he needed.
Using that opening, Ruvian threw himself several metres away from the towering mountain of muscle.
’The hell is this guy? A bloody siege weapon!?’
But before he could complain any further...
Fwiiiish!
The sharp cry of splitting air reached him a fraction of a second before the arrow did. Turning sharply, his hand shot forward on pure instinct, closing around the mana-forged projectile just before it buried itself in his face.
With a sharp snap, he crushed the arrow in his hand.
’And God damn it, Horren!’
’Give me a break!’
Needless to say, nobody obliged to his request.
Another figure burst from his blind spot. Anticipating the follow-up, Ruvian instinctively raised both arms into a guard.
A heavy kick slammed into them, forcing him back several steps.
Unfortunately, a searing pain flared across his forearms. It was only afterward that he realized the kick had been wrapped in flames, scorching his skin slightly.
Ruvian glanced down at his forearm.
A faint burn mark stretched across the reddened skin. He clicked his tongue, flexed his fingers, then forcefully shoved the stinging pain to the back of his mind before lifting his gaze again.
The two figures — Arlok and Yerin — advanced without a hint of urgency, their slow, measured footsteps carrying an oppressive weight as they closed in from the front. Behind them, Horren calmly drew his bow once more.
Their faces were darkened and twisted beyond recognition, their eyes devoid of reason, filled with nothing but unrestrained, murderous intent.
Ruvian inhaled deeply.
’Great... now how exactly am I getting out of this one?’
There had to be a way.
No... actually, Ruvian already had several options in mind.
The first was pretty much simple.
He could just let them knock him unconscious. Once the entire squad was down, their bracelets would automatically trigger the protection enchantment. The downside, however, was equally obvious. They would all be eliminated from the test.
So yes, the first option had never really been an option.
The second was to knock all of his teammates unconscious first, then track down the Voidspawn within the mist and kill it himself.
The problem was that the difficulty bordered on the absurd.
He wasn’t even sure he could outlast Arlok, Yerin, and Horren all at once. No... perhaps he could, if everything went perfectly and luck remained firmly on his side. But even if he somehow pulled that off, the real challenge would only begin afterward.
Fighting the Voidspawn itself.
That was the part he had no confidence in.
It was a Malice Rank Voidspawn, after all. As underhanded and cowardly as its hunting methods were, its rank alone placed it well beyond anything Ruvian should have been capable of dealing with.
So... what other choice did he have?
’No... actually, there is still one thing I can try.’
Ruvian activated: [Power Scaling]
Then, without another moment of hesitation, Ruvian instructed the Editorial System to upgrade both his Strength and Agility from D-Rank to C-Rank.
[Total Cost: 13,220 PP]
[PP available: 24,570 PP]
[Remaining PP after upgrade: 11,350 PP]
[Proceed with the upgrade?]
[Confirm / Cancel]
As both Yerin and Arlok charged toward him, Ruvian had already answered the Editorial System with a single word.
"Yes."
Almost instantly, a profound change swept through his body as newfound strength surged through every muscle. Ruvian slid one foot back, lowering his stance as both hands rose into position.
’Alright, let’s see if this boost changes anything.’
Yerin was the first to reach him.
"Come, Rosalin!!!" she screamed.
’...Rosalin? Wait, what?’
Ruvian’s eyes narrowed in surprise.
Flames coiled around her clenched fists as she lunged straight at him, her gaze burning with unrestrained murderous intent.
But there was no time to dwell on the name she had just shouted.
Ruvian shifted sideways with ease, narrowly avoiding her flaming fist as it tore through the space where his head had been earlier.
Almost at the same moment, Arlok burst out from behind her. The towering brute thundered forward with his enormous fist.
"Is that all you’ve got!? Am I still not worthy of our tribe’s warriors!? HUHHH!?" he shouted with every strength he had.
Focusing on the incoming punch, Ruvian stepped diagonally to the side while deflecting the brute’s forearm — causing the fist to blast through empty air.
A deafening boom echoed as the sheer force displaced the wind.
And before Arlok could recover, Ruvian drove his elbow toward the warrior’s ribs.
Thud!
The impact landed cleanly, yet it felt as though he had struck solid iron.
’Ugh. For real!?’
Arlok barely flinched.
Instead, the towering warrior twisted his waist and swung another punch, forcing Ruvian to retreat with quick, light steps.
That one particular strike carved through the air like a battering ram.
’Even his quick-counter was heavy... I really need to be careful around this guy.’
As he was about to engage with Arlok again, another shadow rushed into his vision.
He smiled shrewdly.
’Already saw you coming from miles away.’
Flames erupted around her limbs as she launched herself into the fray. Her blazing kick swept toward his head.
But Ruvian easily ducked beneath it.
The kick passed inches above him, scattering sparks through the air. Before his body could fully rise, Yerin’s fist descended from above.
Frowning, Ruvian caught her wrist.
Her flames surged across his glove.
At the same time, Arlok’s heavy stomp shook the ground as another punch came roaring toward his back.
Ruvian released the hand and spun aside.
The massive fist grazed past him while Yerin quickly flowed into another attack; a spinning back kick, a flaming elbow, a low sweeping kick.
Whatever damn technique you chose to call them, she unleashed the full breadth of it, leaving him with almost no room to breathe between attacks at all.
Ruvian’s eyes moved back and forth between the two of them, doing everything he could to parry and deflect their continuous and persistent assault.
Then, he heard the sharp whistle of another arrow cutting through the air.
’Of course, I haven’t forgotten about it, you damn archer!’
Without missing a beat, Ruvian spun on his heel like a raging vortex and cast a compact yet immensely powerful sphere of [Whirlwind] around himself.
The spiraling currents violently repelled the incoming arrow before erupting outward in a fierce burst of wind, hurling both Yerin and Arlok several metres away.
As the raging winds dissipated, Ruvian landed lightly upon the ground, and immediately rushed toward Arlok who had lost his balance.
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[Chapter 243: The Treacherous Mist (3)]
Plot Points= 11,350