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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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In a one-on-one fight between a mage and a swordsman, the swordsman usually had the advantage. Unless the mage had time to prepare, a skilled swordsman could overwhelm them with a relentless assault.
Never give a mage time to prepare.
That was the golden rule, the reason swordsmen dominated in close combat. But if a mage was prepared…
‘Run for your life!’
Don’t even look back.
They’d have anticipated your escape route. A prepared mage would unleash their full power, overwhelming their opponent with a barrage of spells. If you wanted to experience the feeling of being adrift on a vast, invisible ocean, try challenging a prepared mage.
Mages might have a reputation for being vulnerable in close combat, but they were essential for a reason. Swordsmen won the early game, mages the late game.
Cecilia was fully prepared. And her emotions, amplified by jealousy and rage, had locked onto Ella as her enemy.
‘I’m ready!’
Ella gripped her sword tightly.
She’d won their previous encounter by striking swiftly, before Cecilia could cast any spells. But this time…
Fiery whips, like venomous snakes, danced around Cecilia, ready to strike. The flames in her hands crackled with power, the telltale signs of high-level magic.
‘Ignis!’
Egenir recognized the spell instantly.
A devastating high-level spell named after the embodiment of fire itself. A spell capable of inflicting massive damage, even against demons. And Cecilia, a level 6 mage, was casting it.
‘She’s only level 6!’
The Salamander trait allowed her to cast Ignis, a level 7 spell.
“Why are you interfering?!”
Cecilia screamed.
Ella charged, knowing she couldn’t give Cecilia any more time.
‘Whoosh!’
The fiery whips lashed out, leaving trails of fire in the air, trying to ensnare Ella.
‘Don’t retreat.’
Despite the relentless assault, Ella pressed forward, her sword held firm.
‘Never!’
She gritted her teeth, enduring the searing pain, her eyes fixed on Egenir and Cecilia.
The flames licked at her chin, her shoulder, her side…She shielded her vital points and continued to advance.
‘Endure!’
A fiery whip struck her back, wrapping around her arm. She sliced through it with her sword and raised it high.
Dragon Swordsmanship.
The same technique she’d witnessed Egenir using. Replicating it so soon was a strain, but she couldn’t afford to hesitate.
Her body screamed in protest, her vision blurred by the flames and smoke, but she pressed on. She had to save Egenir from the demon.
“Aaaaaah!”
She lunged, her sword aimed at Cecilia. She didn’t know why, but she felt a warmth towards Egenir, a lingering memory of kindness.
A warmth that rivaled Cecilia’s fiery intensity.
Her arms, her back, her neck…covered in burns and bleeding, but she didn’t stop.
His words…
[You think you’re so special?]
…stung, a painful reminder of his resentment.
Why did he hate her? She didn’t know, but she wanted to ask. If she didn’t save him from the demon…
‘I’ll never get the chance!’
She had to reach him, to apologize, to ask for forgiveness. She wanted to understand his pain.
‘Fwoosh!’
The Dragon Swordsmanship technique was complete.
A powerful gust of wind extinguished Cecilia’s flames. Ella attacked, her sword a blur, while Cecilia defended, flames swirling around her.
The Ignis spell, a fiery flower, bloomed in her hands.
“Die!”
The beautiful, deadly flower soared towards Ella. It looked like a fiery lantern, illuminating the night sky.
Ella had unleashed Dragon Swordsmanship, Cecilia Ignis.
Egenir, knowing the destructive power of Ignis, desperately cast a spell of his own.
“Firewall!”
Flames erupted from his heart, spreading down his arm.
‘Fwoosh!’
A massive wall of fire.
It couldn’t completely block Ignis, but combined with Ella’s attack, it would buy them some time.
‘Grab!’
He grabbed Ella’s waist, pulling her close. He didn’t particularly care if she lived or died.
But…
‘I can’t just let her die after she came to rescue me!’
That was his only reason. He ran towards the broken window.
“What are you doing?!”
“Run!”
He jumped through the window. Unfortunately, they were on the second floor.
He gritted his teeth, looking down.
“Hold on tight!”
He trusted Spenny to heal him, even if he broke every bone in his body.
‘Boom!’
The roar of Ignis.
The entire second floor of the dormitory exploded.
A high-level, level 7 spell.
It engulfed the first floor in flames, fire spewing from every window and door.
‘Thud!’
He landed on the first floor with a sickening crunch. The pain was nothing new.
“Are you…alright…?”
“Get down!”
Flames erupted from the building. Even with the Salamander trait, he could feel the intense heat of Ignis on his back. If he was feeling it, Ella, without fire resistance, wouldn’t survive.
He shielded her with his body, pulling her close to the ground.
The flames rose, so staying low would offer some protection.
‘Crackle!’
The low-ranking dormitory was engulfed in flames. If he hadn’t jumped with Ella, they would have been incinerated.
“Ha…”
A sharp pain shot through his right leg. He wouldn’t be walking anytime soon.
“Damn it…Fuck…Ugh…”
He groaned, pushing himself to his feet.
The initial explosion had subsided, but the fire raged.
“Where…are you going?”
“To save her.”
“Save…the demon?”
Ella still thought Cecilia was a demon.
Egenir glared at her, annoyed.
“Can’t you even recognize your classmates?”
“Class…mate?”
“Damn it, these elites…Can’t even recognize their own friends…Tch.”
He trusted his fire resistance.
His back was medium-rare from the Ignis explosion, but…
‘Compared to what I’ve been through, this is nothing.’
He’d endured Harfon’s training, hadn’t he?
He limped towards the burning dormitory, determined to rescue Cecilia, who was most likely unconscious.
“You’ll die.”
Ella grabbed his hand, trying to stop him.
“Let go.”
“You’re not in any condition…”
He wanted to snap at her, but he noticed the burns on her neck, her arms, her uniform. Blood trickled down her skin. She needed immediate medical attention.
“Let go.”
He gently pried her hand off his.
“Sometimes, you have to save people.”
“…”
Ella stared at him, her eyes wide, as he walked towards the inferno.
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‘Crackle!’
The inside of the dormitory was a hellish landscape of fire and smoke.
“Damn it!”
He was furious.
The Ignis explosion had been powerful enough to kill him, let alone the other students if they’d been there.
A high-risk trait, indeed. That’s why she’d been adopted by the Magic Tower.
“Shit!”
He held his breath and climbed the stairs. Even with fire resistance, the smoke was choking.
‘Cecilia…’
She’d cast the spell in a state of emotional turmoil. She was unlikely to have emerged unscathed from the Ignis explosion.
Her “full-body combustion” mode might have offered some protection, but being unconscious in a burning building was still dangerous.
‘She must have passed out.’
The Salamander trait allowed her to access power beyond her level, but it came at a cost.
‘What kind of newbie mage uses a self-destruct attack?!’
He hated that. He was partly to blame for her emotional state, but…
‘Crack! Boom!’
A support beam collapsed. The building was about to crumble.
“Cecilia!”
His shouts were swallowed by the roar of the flames. The dormitory’s contents burned, their screams a chorus of destruction.
‘These poor bastards…They’re already broke…’
He wondered how they’d survive without their belongings.
“Screw it. I have to look out for myself. That’s why I always ended up screwed in previous turns!”
He muttered to himself. He was alone, his voice lost in the inferno.
‘Thwack!’
He was glad he’d learned Brawling. He punched through a half-burned beam blocking his path, his strength amplified by Harfon’s training.
[Brawling level increased by 1.]
[Continuous exposure to flames.]
[Fire resistance increased.]
Not a good sign.
Such rapid level increases usually meant he was in a dangerous situation.
‘My leg!’
His injured leg finally gave out.
‘Damn it! Move!’
His stubbornness had always been his downfall. He’d vowed not to be used, not to be killed, not to suffer any more losses. But his resolve had crumbled in this turn.
Perhaps because he’d believed he could finally escape…or perhaps because of those damned memories of Cecilia from his first turn.
[Egenir…I like you.]
Those damned memories. He was a fool for clinging to them.
‘You bitch!’
He wanted to curse her, but the smoke choked him, stealing his voice.
He crawled up the stairs, using his one good leg and his arms for support.
‘Rumble!’
Another beam collapsed, the ceiling crumbling. He shielded himself with his arms, pushing forward.
‘Crack!’
The floor gave way. He tried to dodge, but it was too late.
“Shit!”
He grabbed the edge of the second floor, holding on for dear life.
“Damn shoddy construction!”
Even for a low-ranking dormitory, this was ridiculous. And those rich bastards boasted about their superior facilities.
“Aaaaaah!”
The memories of his first turn, of Cecilia…they fueled his strength, ironically.
“Get up!”
He yelled at himself, at Cecilia, who might or might not hear him. He pulled himself up, his hands burning from the heat.
“Aaaaaah!”
His fingertips were charred.
“Damn it!”
He couldn’t grip properly, couldn’t hold on.
“I came this far!”
He wouldn’t fail to save Cecilia, not after all this.
“Don’t fuck with me!”
He’d crawl if he had to. He crawled through the debris, like an insect in a burning forest.
“Cecilia!”
He screamed her name, his voice hoarse from the smoke. He saw her, lying unconscious in his room. Aside from some singed clothes, she seemed unharmed.
“That bitch…She’s fine.”
He reached her, his burned fingertips making it difficult to grip her clothes. He slung her over his back and crawled towards the window.
“Damn it…Fuck…”
Was the windowsill always this high?
He struggled, pulling himself through the opening.
‘Boom!’
The ceiling collapsed, debris raining down. He had no time.
He closed his eyes and jumped, holding Cecilia tight.
‘You damn bitch! Please be alive!’
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[Your Text Here]
I wonder what is his murk count seeing that he would actively save those he hates