Chapter 24
...
Nysah and her followers had pursued him for a long and exhausting while, only to finally admit they
had lost him again!
"Damn it! Damn it all!" Ogmundr swore furiously, unable to ept their failure.
"What kind of strength does vin possess?" The muscr man demanded of Nysah.
"He’s just a Novice Mage, but he possesses a startling brute strength, which he seems to wield to
its fullest potential. His strength cannot be judged by his title alone," Nysah admitted reluctantly,
forced to ept the reality that vin had truly surprised her that night.
"Brute strength? He''s not just strong, his Sword Skill is even more refined than mine," Ogmundr
reflected on the previous night''s duel, which had made him feel genuinely threatened. He was
beginning to doubt what had really happened during their brief sh. He vaguely remembered
deflecting vin''s de with his Gold-Veined Bronzesword, thenunching a surprise attack. By all
logic, he should have been able to strike vin down. Yet, vin''s de seemed unaffected,
thrusting straight at him.
The Gold-Veined Bronzesword was a treasured de, able to easily cleave iron and stone. If it had
truly met vin''s sword, it should have cut his sword in two. Could he have remembered wrong?
Did he miss vin''s sword?
Nysah shook her head decisively. "Impossible. I know vin''s strength well. He cannot possess
Combat Magic."
"Let''s not argue about this now. We need to find vin before he escapes again. He''s been struck
by my sword; his blood vessels were punctured. His injury will worsen over time; he can''t have gone
far."
Deep within the dense forest, vin sat in a concealed cave, absorbing the Restoration Aether of
the ancient woods. The Restoration Aether here was much more potent than within Cobalt Strike.
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After a night''s rest, his wound had nearly closed. Not even a scar remained by noon, and by
afternoon, he had fully recovered!
The marvel of the Restoration Mantra was just that – more effective than any elixir or wonder drug.
It had saved vin more times than he could count over the years.
"Ogmundr! Novice Mage Stage VII!"
vin silently recalled the previous night''s perilous battle. His current strength was far from
sufficient to challenge Stage VII; he would struggle even with Stage V. Just as there was a hurdle
moving from Stage III to Stage IV, so too was there one from Stage VI to Stage VII, with a
qualitative leap in power after each.
With things having escted to this point, vin could not back down. It was kill or be killed, no
room for negotiation. While he had his reservations back in Cobalt Strike, now, in the deep forest, in
a life-or-death chase, if they couldn''t kill him, he would kill them.
It was a matter of who could be more ruthless!
Before nightfall, vin set out again, Dawnedge de on his back, entering the deep, primeval
forest, seeking Nysah. His strength was far inferior to his enemies; he had to rely on the cover of
night tounch a surprise attack.
Moving cautiously, vin avoided recklessness, steering clear of any Magi-Monsters he
encountered. Luckily, he did not stumble upon any particrly strong Magi-Monsters, for he might
not have had a chance to escape with his current strength.
Fortune smiled upon him, for not long into his journey, he discovered an Elixir Herb – three of them,
in fact, clustered together, hidden in a thick bush.
The three Ordinary Elixir Herbs could help vin replenish his magic.
"There''s the sound of a fight!"
vin suddenly halted, listening intently. It didn''t sound like mages dueling, but more like a group of
mages battling a Magi-Monster. The noise wasing from up ahead in the forest.
Following the sound, he moved silently and swiftly towards it.
Aheady a clearing in the dense forest, where the silhouettes of men and women brandishing
weapons could be seen fighting a massive beast. The creature resembled a fierce tiger but was
evenrger than a ck bear. Its fur was glossy ck, its blood-red eyes were filled with savagery,
its mouth bristled with jagged teeth, and two sharp fangs, each half a meter long, curved
menacingly from its jaws.
A debite Beast!
Such Magi-Monsters were kept within Cobalt Strike, known for their ferocity and brutal nature,
comparable in realm to a high-level Novice Mage. Its ws and fangs were its weapons, and its
body was enveloped in a swirling ck wind, kicking up dust and stones.
vin observed carefully. The five men and women, dressed simply like mercenaries venturing
through the forest, fought with a wild vigor and a well-coordinated effort, disying experience and
tactical retreats. Three bloodied bodiesy in the ruins, evidently having met their demise at the
ws of the debite Beast.
The battle was not just intense; it was downright dangerous. The debite Beast, driven to
madness by the conflict, whipped up fierce winds throughout the ruins, charging and roaring
furiously.
The mercenaries seemed on the verge of copse. Four constantly ran and took to the air,
distracting the debite Beast with their efforts. A muscr young man d in ck led the main
assault, his two-meter-long battle sword shing with a fierce and unbridled force.
"Splurch!"
Sword glimmers struck the debite Beast, tearing into its flesh. The beast roared in pain. The four
mercenaries took advantage of the sessful strike to retreat, and the muscr young man surged
forward. His battle sword roared with a tempest''s fury as he viciously aimed for the debite
Beast''s head.
The debite Beast howled, swiping a w at the battle sword, sending sparks flying and a
deafening sound rippling through the air. The man was brutally repelled, but the beast''s w was
left dripping with blood.
"You! Have you seen enough? Lend a hand!" The man tumbled to the ground, blood trickling from
the corner of his mouth, suddenly shouting toward the spot where vin was hidden.