Nathan


    Year 2851 | Month 3 | Day 21


    While I’m in the middle of a short break from slaughtering the Hardlight forces, I end up getting a rather large surprise. One in the form of a call from Amelia telling me about Hardlight’s annexation by the Kingdom of the Fallen. And to be more specific, by me. Without me ever even hearing about it until after the annexation finished.


    Huh.


    Well then.


    That does explain why the Hardlight forces started to retreat while I was taking this little break. Since I was rather surprised when I saw that.


    Anyways, it looks like the Class S magician of Hardlight wants to meet me? Also, she has stopped her assault on the Chairman. Surprisingly after permanently taking one of his arms.


    So that’s interesting.


    I wasn’t expecting the Chairman to actually fall to their little ambush. Same with the doctor. So hearing that he’s suffered a major crippling and permanent injury is actually a little surprising.


    Eventually I answer Amelia, telling her that I’ll meet with the Class S magician. Then I begin to head back to the Undying Caverns again now that I no longer have any reason to stay at the frontlines between us and Hardlight.


    I guess this means the enemy alliance has officially crumbled to dust now. Without a single hint of it remaining.


    That thought has the faintest hint of a smile spreading across my face.


    Nice. So now we only have to deal with the Republic and the Collective Kingdoms.


    Oh, and the doctor, who is on his own in all of this.


    Speaking of the doctor, while I’m on my way to the Undying Caverns for this little meeting, I get some news about him as well. Specifically that he managed to wound one of the three Class S magicians who ambushed him. But their ambush is still under way, and he’s still on the run from them.


    Which means he’s still out of the picture in terms of the battle.


    I’m sure the skeleton finds all of this hilarious. What with how the doctor and Chairman were the ones who originally started this whole war. Yet now they’re in this pitiful situation.


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    With one of them permanently missing an arm and still under ambush by two Class S magicians, and the other fleeing from three Class S magicians out of a lack of mana reserves remaining.


    It’s pure irony at this point.


    All that said, I wish it was the doctor with the crippling injury instead of the Chairman. Because of everything that man has done to me throughout my life.


    But I guess he’s technically in a worse situation right now than the Chairman, so it’s probably fine?


    After all, while the Chairman is still one versus two, he has his base and all the defenses there protecting him against the two. Meanwhile the doctor is one versus three and without any defenses.


    It doesn’t matter that the Chairman is missing an arm right now in all that.


    It’s only a matter of time before he gets an injury too. Which will most likely be some sort of poison, considering that two of his enemy Class S magicians are poison affinity ones.


    Especially considering how the majority of the Barren Pass – the place his base is located in – has been turned into a poisoned wasteland. One filled with radioactivity on top of that thanks to the light magician chasing him on top of the poison ones.


    So at this point his base is pretty much uninhabitable even if he wins this.


    I’d be surprised if he can even make it back to his base to get his research notes without wearing some sort of protective suit. Or just using his magic to protect himself, since that should be possible too.


    Not right now though. Not while he’s on the run.


    Anyways, I continue making my way back to the Undying Caverns while working on my mana manipulation along the way. Trying over and over again to control my mana directly and use it outside of my body.


    I just keep trying to form even the most basic of spells, only for the mana to go out of my control and pretty much blow up my arm in the process every time without fail. Which probably makes for a rather bizarre sight from the ground.


    Makes me wonder if someone passing beneath me might think I’m fireworks or something. Just from the explosions occasionally blowing me up.


    Probably not.


    I continue flying through the sky, only to eventually come to a grinding halt when I actually succeed in managing to shoot out a tiny bolt of flames without any sort of spell. Something I did without even really realizing it since I’ve just been repeating things over and over again nonstop with tiny miniscule changes to how.


    Did I actually… just succeed? At performing a spell without a spell circle?


    I stare blankly at my own hand before trying to do exactly what I just did again. But this time I fail miserably as my arm blows up in my face.


    No, I’m sure I managed to do it. I just have to try to copy exactly what I just did.


    So I completely forget about the original goal of this little trip as I float in the air trying over and over again to do it again.


    It isn’t until I get a call from my terminal that I remember what the point of this little flight was and begin heading towards the Undying Caverns again.


    Except now I have the faintest hint of a smile on my face that I can’t seem to remove. Even as I continue trying over and over again while flying towards the Undying Caverns to repeat what I did earlier.


    I’m getting closer to my goal of becoming a Class S magician.


    It’s only a matter of time now. With both the mana manipulation and the mana arcs.


    Just a matter of time.