The whole ordeal took less than 20 minutes, so by the time I got back near the group, there was still a bit of time left before departure.

I didn't completely deactivate the necklace, since I was hoping to pull another sneaky on Elira.

But when I got there, Elira was conversing with Eckra and her group. Straining my ears, I quietly listened in, not wanting to interfere with their little bonding session.

The archer guy, Hyug, seemed to have noticed me though, yet he remained silent of it. Looks like he's got quite the sharp senses.

They seemed to have been talking about their journeys and experiences, with Elira listening seriously. But about halfway through the conversation, the topic suddenly changed to being about me for some reason.

"...So Elira, about Luna, why exactly is she wearing a mask?"

The one to strike the first blow was none other than the mage girl, Della. Hearing her question, Elira widened her eyes before making a conflicted face.

"Sorry, Della was just being insensitive, you don't really have to say anything." The swordsman, Morg, spoke while giving Della a glare. To which the girl just responded with a slight shrug of her shoulders along with a helpless smile.

"No, it's alright, Luna isn't really keeping it a secret or anything." After speaking, Elira formed a wry smile as she began to recount my(?) 'Past experiences'.

"It may not seem like it, but when Luna was young, she actually had a fairly pretty appearance, but around a few years ago..."

Elira than began to recount a dramatic story about a young mischievous girl who, in a fit of rebellion, snuck out of her home in the middle of the night.

Unfortunately for the girl, while being out and about, she was found by a very evil woman who kidnapped her against her will.

Perhaps out of jealousy or perhaps out of sheer spite and cruelty, the evil woman used her knowledge of alchemy to concoct all sorts of vile substances that ruined the girl's appearance.

Thankfully, the young girl's parents were alerted of her disappearance very early on and eventually found the girl not long after. The woman was heavily punished, but in the end, the things that she did couldn't be completely undone.

In both mind and body, the girl was scarred. Yet the worst of all, she came to find that the horrific scars left on her face and body couldn't be healed using ordinary potions and spells.

Whatever substance that woman used, it was potent enough to leave everything permanent.

Now, that girl, having grown up, hopes to wander the world in search of a way to truly heal those scars. But she still wears the mask, knowing her dreadful appearance would only bring fear to her companions.

It was a very moving tale, that is of course, if it wasn't my 'supposed' story. Elira is quite the creative story maker... well, a little too creative.

After she finished recounting my 'past', the others were solemn. Hyug secretly glanced at my direction, even I could tell there was pity in his eyes.

Eckra seemed to have also noticed me, but unlike Hyug, she was well aware of the real truth, merely giving me a subtle teasing smile and gestured 'OK' with her hand.

"I see... is that also why she wears clothing that completely covers her body?" Della asked, infected by the mood of the group. There was even a slight tremor in her voice.

Now that I think about it, she was right. Whether the gloves or the long sleeved shirt, I pretty much showed no skin whatsoever. Even my neck was covered with a scarf that, although looked fragile, was actually very durable and can act as protective gear.

I feel like the misunderstanding will just continue to pile at this rate, so I should probably do something, but the atmosphere of the group made me hesitate.

Ugh...how in the hell am I even supposed to approach this.

A few seconds of continuous conflicting thoughts, I finally came to a decision.

…I'm getting out of here.

I went back to the carriage that Elira and I rode, since I knew that the break would end soon. And what do you know, in about four minutes, the owner's men announced the coming departure, returning the horses into their place.

Elira also came back a few seconds later, seemingly rejuvenated from all that story telling.

"Hey, you're back. You could've informed me, you know?" She told, with a beaming smile.

"I don't know about that, though. I mean, you seemed soo~ busy that I couldn't quite find the chance to interfere." The words left my mouth, tinged with a slight sarcastic seasoning.

"That's true. Such a shame, you could've joined us."

Looks like she also noticed me hiding in the corner earlier. Damn, I should've just fully activated the necklace, or better yet, added a concealment spell.

Then again, if I casted it, the mage girl might've noticed the activation of a spell. Sorcerers and other magic users are fairly keen on sensing those kinds of thing.

As the caravan departed, we continued our bickering. I'd even call it flirting, had I been shameless enough.

 

◊◊◊

 

Unfortunately, the journey continued to remain just as stale as before.

Seriously, most of my expectations had already been thrown out the window. It's at the point that I've literally began to practice forming runes just to stave off boredom, which says a lot considering I'm not really all that fond of it.

I mean, sure, it was novel at first considering magic and all, but as with all things, when you do it repetitively enough, it starts to become a chore.

Nonetheless, I certainly still devote a part of my time doing it, otherwise I wouldn't have chosen to become a sorcerer. And what better way to do so than when you're stuck in a carriage with nothing else better to do.

Elira, in contrast, was meditating all this time. I'm honestly amazed at how she can maintain that level of concentration despite being on a moving carriage.

Deepening my senses just a little, I can basically feel the water elements moving towards her.

I know she's at the first stage and is just about to reach the peak of her accumulation, and any day now, she might just undergo her first body refinement.

I learned about [Elemental Affinity] together with magic, as it was pretty much mandatory for me even though I couldn't exactly practice or make use of the knowledge.

 Apparently, if and when I kill the Devil, I will also lose my Hero's power, which also means I'll have to go through the whole forming a root point and ascending the stages just like everyone else. Granted, I'll probably still have an extremely abundant mana overflowing in quality, along with a physical specs reaching absurdity.

In any case, I know that once you've reach a state where your mana is overflowing with elemental essence that it cant hold anymore, it means you've reach the peak of the first stage.

Once that has been reach, you have to wash your body with your mana, before directly infusing and engraving the elemental essence into your body.

Naturally, this has to be very thorough, encompassing every part of your body, from your skin, muscles, internal organs, bones, and even down to your bone marrows.

It also has to be done evenly, as it might cause an imbalance of one part of the body being more refined than the other, bringing about all sorts of problems later on.

For obvious reasons, this process is much easier for warriors who formed Mana Hearts as their mana is constantly circulating around their body to begin with. But that also means its harder for those sorcerers and magic users who has formed their Mana Brain, with their mana always being clumped up in one place.

On the other hand, the benefits it brings are also quite shocking to say the least.

For one, the body becomes significantly stronger than before, which is a huge plus for anyone regardless of their occupation.

Your mana also apparently flows much smoother than before, moreover, its strengthening effect also receives a large boost.

It benefits even magic users, as reinforcement buff type spells (Of their specific element/s) are also greatly amplified. So you can't even call mages fragile or glass cannons anymore.

Once this had been done, you have officially entered the second stage of [Elemental Affinity], or more aptly known as (No surprises) Body Refinement Stage.

You can undergo body refinement multiple times, depending on what sequence level your gate is. Someone who has a Three Sequence Gate can refine their body three times, while someone who has a Six Sequence Gate can do so a total of six times.

Because of this, the gap between different levels of sequence gates becomes all the more apparent, that is, if the sheer purity and quality difference of their elemental essence in the first stage didn't already give it away.

Of course, all of the knowledge I have is, at best, superficial, as such I wasn't completely clear of Elira's exact situation.

All this probing of mine didn't seem to bother her whatsoever, as she remained calmly seated with her eyes closed and her arms crossed, silently absorbing the water elements in the surroundings.

Well, I didn't see it fit to make a disturbance just to relieve my boredom either, so I just returned to doing my own thing.

Without even realizing it, the sun was beginning to set. Not long afterwards, we were informed that the caravan would start making their camp out here and that we should do the same.

Unlike the modern world, where cars have headlights to brighten the way along with light posts to guide them, the people of this world doesn't have such luxury.

As such, once the light of day starts to settle down, it's imperative for travelers to camp out rather than keep going.

And while there are certainly artifacts and apparatuses that can light the way, they're usually not very cost-effective, since such a thing would likely require a competent magic user or a power source such as a mana stone.

With the limit on how far they can light up a path, and the possible dangers one can encounter moving around in the middle of the night, unless absolutely necessary, it's much safer and easier to simply set up an encampment and secure the perimeter.

Elira and I met up with Eckra's group, who looked at me with strange, sympathetic eyes...

…Yeah, I'm not even going to bother explaining anything anymore. It kind of seems convenient this way, not gonna lie.

We all talked while dividing up our roles. Hyug and Morg would collect branches and wood for the campfire, Elira and Eckra would set up the tents and sleeping bags, while me and Della would set up spells around the camp to defend the perimeter and alert us incase of invasion. (I volunteered of course.)

Naturally, before doing so, we had to ask permission from the caravan boss, more or less as a proper etiquette.

After being given said permission, we immediately set forth.

Setting up a defensive perimeter isn't nearly as complicated as it sounds. In fact, depending on what kind of area you are situated, it couldn't even be simpler.

In a forest, like where we are right now, we can simply layer a small number of simple spells on a few trees around our camp, connect them to form a resonating effect, and voilà, you have yourself a working defense system.

The spells themselves are temporary, though it can last for a few hours, needing the casters to recharge them every now and then. Well, it could also last for the entire night if the caster could set it up in a way that minimizes mana usage.

While on the the job, the two of us conversed, allowing me to get to know her a little.

She had a large family, just like mine, but it also meant they couldn't quite provide her a full focus. Not wanting herself to be restricted, she left in hopes to see a wider world.

Though, it seems she kept in contact with them through letters and visits them from time to time.

It was awfully similar to a certain someone in my family, but I digress.

We began our work, starting on an inconspicuous tree.

Della wrote runes on one side while I did the same on the other side. We already made an agreement on the overall plan prior, so we didn't waste anymore time.

She overlaid a few earth attribute spells which, unsurprisingly, fit well with the tree, while I, on the other hand, overlaid light attribute spells.

I actually wanted to try using lightning attribute for this, since it's a little funnier with it being a direct opposition with the tree, but I held off on it, not wanting to screw up with my first travel companions.

Unfortunately, her spells and mine didn't have an effect of amplifying each other. Though, it can be said that it's already good that they weren't conflicting. 

"This somehow counts as knowing magic 'just a little'?" Della interrupted my thoughts, looking mildly surprised after analyzing my work.

"I mean, I did say that I could be considered a sorcerer."

"Please, there's plenty of people who claim themselves a 'sorcerer' after knowing how to cast one or two simple spells. Even I wouldn't necessarily say I'm considered one."

Hmm, well, to be considered an official sorcerer, you must be able to cast at the very least 5 different Four Circle Spells, as well as knowing one Grand Runic Formation (A Grand Spell, so to speak.)

Grand Spells are different from multiple different spells that merely resonate and amplify one another, though people often mistake them as the same.

Certain spells have resonating effect with one another, which in turn would cause them to strengthen one another when being cast together. As this can happen to 2 different spells, it can naturally happen to 10 or even more spells.

This is why a squad of well trained sorcerers who can cooperate well can be devastating to an opposing army.

But Grand Spells are different from just that, the spells that make up a Grand Runic Formation have gone beyond just simply resonance and amplification, to the point that a Grand Spell is considered one singular spell despite being made out many individual ones.

A Grand Spell may have multiple function, or one single function that has been dialed up to fucking madness, seriously.

Even the simplest Grand Spell requires 8 different spells to form, but 16 spells resonating with one another may not necessarily have even half the effect of said Grand Spell.

Of course, this isn't to say that one is completely better than the other. Unlike the resonating spells that can be piled up, a Grand Spell can typically only be casted by one person.

Mana is unique to every individual, sort of like DNA, so spells you cast using your mana would have some form of your 'imprint'. Since Grand Spells are extremely precise in its innerworkings, having another person's 'imprint' in even one of the spells making up the Grand Spell could mess it up completely.

In any case, Grand Spells are very complex, enough to give an aspiring Sorcerer a headache when trying to learn one.

And you need to have a complete theoretical and practical knowledge of an existing one to be an official sorcerer, otherwise you can only be considered an apprentice, at best.

Well, you could also make one yourself, though that's a whole nother level of difficulty. Creating Grand Spells is a territory only Archmages and High Sorcerers who have decades worth of experience in magic can delve into.

I've personally learned several Grand Spells myself, and while I've heard of amazing geniuses recorded in history who've managed create them at a young age, I'm in no way attempting that any time soon.

Fortunately for standard sorcerers, that's not a requirement to fulfil.

Speaking of which, a few years back I went and applied for a test in the Magic Association, which of course, I passed with flying colors. It granted me a Sorcerer's I.D. Card similar to my adventurer's card that can act as a verification of my status as an official sorcerer, which I currently keep in my storage ring.

I also have certification for it, but that one is left at home for safe keeping.

That's why, I really am not lying when I say I'm considered a true sorcerer.

In any case, we moved on from that tree and worked on others, forming a circular zone around our camp. The two of us spoke more and even exchanged advices and knowledge when it comes to magic.

By the time we finished, the sun had already completely set and darkness had already begun to invade.

When we returned, there was three different campfires divided amongst the groups, though we quickly found ours.

There was three tents set up and plenty of fuel for the fire had been gathered. Each tent was shared by two people, meaning Elira and I would be in one together.

By the way, our tent is something I brought and it was of fairly decent size so personal space isn't really a worry. In fact, I actually even have a more advanced tent in my storage with all sorts of enchantments, I just didn't want to alarm my current party members.

To begin with, comfort isn't really a problem for me since my body seems to regulate itself pretty well. I've never once felt too hot or too cold, nor did I ever feel uncomfortable when sleeping anywhere. I could probably sleep on a sleeping bag hanging on a tree and I'd still be well rested by morning.

I don't think I even need to sleep, eat, or drink whatsoever at all. At this point, biological needs for others are more of a suggestion for me. I sometimes ask myself if I'm really even human anymore.

Gathering around, we discussed about taking turns standing watch and who would go first. It seems like two people would watch each turn, and we came to a fairly quick agreement.

Well, regardless of any agreement, I didn't really intend to sleep to begin with. For a few reason, but mainly due to a little something called 'trust'.

Elira is a no brainer and Eckra, as a person who frequented the capital and have known me for years, was someone who I have some degree of trust with, which by some extension included her group. But even with that, I cant really count the caravan boss or his people.

So sleep is pretty much a no go for tonight, not that I needed it anyways.

Before settling into the tent, I layered a few spells on it. I didn't try to hide what I was doing, so everyone probably saw it. Well, they didn't seem to mind either.

This is more of a front, even though I placed defensive spells that kept out the unwanted, my main goal was actually to make it so no one can see or sense inside the tent.

Since I wasn't going to be sleeping, I intended to do a little something I've been holding off on, and my actions being watched was in no way part of my plans tonight.

*Rustle*

Awakening me from my thoughts was Elira, entering the tent using the 'Key' I gave her

"You don't actually intend to sleep tonight, do you." Elira said as a matter-of-factly after going in.

"Nope, not at all."

"Good, so that means I can actually sleep." Immediately after saying so, she lied on the corner of the tent which had a blanket.

"...You know, you really make me want to revoke that statement." I couldn't help but retort, seeing her act so nonchalantly.

Well, even though I said so, I still really don't intend to sleep.

Sitting on another corner of the tent, I took out my hilted sword and placed it on my lap. Tugging at a force situated at the core of my heart, I silently pulled out a strand of it before transferring said strand into the sword.

A slow and imperceptible transformation took place within the sword. Sensing the change, the corners of my lips slowly rose.

I didn't stop, diligently continuing to channel the energy into the sword.

As strange as it was, my plan was to precisely spend the entire night like this.

 

◊◊◊

 

I continued my business, pouring enough focus that I even lost track of time.

At some point, Elira woke up and left the tent. It was her shift to keep watch, but I didn't pay too much attention to it and returned to what I was doing.

After a few hours passed, she came back in, meaning it was my turn to be in the night watch crew.

I didn't hesitate much, putting the blade back into its hilt and leaving the tent.

Outside sitting by the campfire was Hyug, who was going to keep watch together with me this session. There was also other people stationed in the other campfires but their business is not really much of our concern.

Moving towards our campfire, I sat on a well placed log opposite of Hyug. If I'm being honest, I'd rather be partnered up with Eckra or the cute Della, but beggars cant be choosers. Moreover, I'm not such an asshole that I'd complain about something like this.

The two of us sat quietly as a somewhat awkward atmosphere grew around us.

" *Cough* So... erm, how are you doing?" Hyug spoke in an attempt to breakdown the perplexing silence, though both the question and the execution itself was less than ideal.

"Pfft, That's a very—uhm, how should I say... temperate?—way of starting a conversation, but either ways I'm fine, thanks for asking, I guess?"

"...Sorry, I'm not very good with socializing." He responded, looking a little embarrassed.

"That's okay, I've known my fair share of not-so-socially-competent people, so I can clearly tell you that you're not alone."

"I see, thanks? I'm...not really sure if that's a comfort."

"It could be, if you see it that way. I'm personally not that great with socializing either, I can hold my own on a conversation so long as it's with just a small group but I cannot handle interacting with too many people."

"On that, I can agree. Being stared at by a crowd can be gut wrenching." A wry smile overtook him as he spoke. From what it looks like, it was probably a personal experience.

As the two of us continued to converse, Hyug became more and more at ease talking with me. We mostly talked lightheartedly, as a means to pass time.

By then, he was comfortable enough with me to talk about his adventuring experiences.

As it turns out, he was actually the first of the three to group up with Eckra. At that time, she had different party members than the group she had right now.

It wasn't really surprising to me, since she basically just actively circles around the kingdom, constantly ending up back to the capital. Because of this, she pretty much always splits of with her group whenever they leave the kingdom.

I was fairly happy to learn more about Eckra, specially info regarding her blunders and misdemeanors. Unfortunately though, my conversation with Hyug was cut off mid way as I sensed something entering the perimeter that I set up.

Noticing my strange and sudden solemness, Hyug looked to the direction I was looking at, tensely gripping the bow behind him.

On one of the tents, Eckra and Della came out. It was obvious that Della also noticed the invasion.

"You guys get the other two and ready yourselves, I'll go explain to the head what's going on." Eckra ordered us before going to the other groups, who themselves seemed to have noticed our commotion.

Naturally, I agreed and went back to our tent to wake up Elira. Surprisingly though, when I got there, she was already awake. Well, it was either that or she didn't go back to sleep when I left, which was probably more likely.

We didn't take too long to ready ourselves and gather back with the others, as Elira already prepared everything she needed while I only needed to take my waist bag and sword.

It's kind of unlucky that out of all the area that could've been breached, it happened to be ours instead of the other groups. Then again, at least there's finally something interesting happening.

The invading group themselves wasn't large, there was only about 7 of them. Moreover, since they were still outside the outskirts of the area, it's clear that it wasn't that easy for them to break into the sanctuary we built.

Surveilling through the spells I left, I realized it was a pack of Lurker Rolts, which were basically just giant mutated furry rat-like things.

They had sharp claws and teeth that would probably leave a nasty wound, that is of course if you didn't lose a limb or so, and to top it all off, they were ugly as hell.

While on all fours, their about the height of an average adult man's chest, but the thing is, they can stand on two legs like a bear and swipe their entire weight on you.

Now, usually they act alone, but on certain occasions they will group up, forming a temporary pack. In other words, we somehow got the very short end of the stick when it came to this monster.

Feeling a little peeved and excited at the same time, I explained to everyone what we were dealing with while Della confirmed and added a few more details that I missed.

Not long after, Eckra came back with two people. One was a middle aged man who had two swords, one long and one short, in his belt while the other was a younger man with a spear tied to his back.

(Funnily enough, the most common weapon that adventurers use is typically the spear rather than the sword.)

The two was quickly informed about the situation before we immediately set out.

Once we reached the raided area, we immediately found the group of large, bear like, Rolts. The Rolts also quickly noticed us and attacked without regards.

And so, without so much as a drop of suspense, the battle began.

Eckra led and directed the group, using the standard frontline backline positioning. While on the other hand, the Rolts, which normally moved individually, lacked a sense of harmony and fought without much tactics.

(I was part of the rear of course, I wasn't so crass as to hide from my group the fact that I'm primarily a magic user.)

Looking around to my far left, I see Hyug firing arrows at the Rolts, seeming to be aiming at their more vulnerable parts like their eyes or mouths with quite the frightening accuracy.

Sadly, the Rolts themselves seem to have a strong sense of danger, able to somewhat avoid the arrows from hitting their vitals, but doing so distracted them and made the vanguard's job much more easier. 

A little farther to the left from him was Della who fought in typical Mage fashion.

Her staff was similar to a pole, except there were lines dividing the staff into five segments sort of like those from a bamboo. Engraved on each segment was a complete spell format which only needed the infusion of her mana to activate.

One spell weakened the ground that a Rolt was standing causing it to sink from its own weight, another grew spikes made of earth underneath a different Rolt (though the spikes only seemed to scratch their surface at best).

If that wasn't enough, then there's the good old fashion style of making extra dense rocks from the soil underneath her before flinging it at them.

She made complete use of the first three spells imprinted on her staff, sometimes synergizing all three of them on one individual Rolt. 

Naturally, in order to not be outdone by a fellow mage, I sprung into action.

From within my waist pouch I took out a deck holder, revealing a set of cards, each made of thin yet compact wooden material and engraved with their own individual spells. Drawing out the first card, I—

—Oops, wrong one.

Ahem... Lets try that again. Putting the first card to the bottom of the set, I drew the second card from the surface of the deck, I finally got myself a properly functional spell.

[(Lightning) 4 Circle Spell - (Intermediate) Lightning Tendrils]

From the surface of the card, eight different tendrils of pure lightning flew out, curving around Elira, who was not far in front of me, and directly hitting the Rolt she was fighting.

As for the effect, surprisingly... mild?

Damn, these oversized rodents are tougher than I thought. I mean sure, there were patches of burn marks around their fur, but it wasn't really all that significant. It's like if someone stamped a lit cigar on your skin, while it sure as hell would hurt, it isn't exactly all that deadly.

Well, I guess it should be expected since the spell itself was mean to deal with multiple weaker enemies rather than one strong target.

I casted another wave of Lightning Tendrils using the card, but this time I made sure all tendrils hit the exact same spot, its chest. The moment the spell hit, Elira followed up by thrusting her spear towards the struck area and managed to pierce its skin, drawing blood.

Unexpectedly though, instead of losing momentum, the beast only roared angrily and fought even more fiercely, causing Elira to take a few steps back.

I continued to assist her using a few well timed Lightning Tendrils while at the same time drawing three more cards using my other hand.

"Awesome!" Seeing one particular card from the three I drew, a grin escaped my lips.

Even though I made it into a card, it wasn't a spell that was useful to me personally, since it doesn't actually affect me, but it's a completely different story when my job is to act as a support.

[(Life Attribute) 5 Circle Spell - Physical Reinforcement]

I didn't just cast it to Elira, I also casted it to Eckra, Morg, and all the other melee fighters in our group. I even buffed up Hyug since drawing a bow is also a matter of strength.

"This is..." "Woah!" "Holy sh—"

Elira was taken aback, but wasn't all too surprised, having experienced it before. Though it seemed to cause everyone else to be a bit shocked, fortunately, it didn't distract them too much as they continued their battles.

Physical reinforcement type spells are a must for everyone who formed a Mana Brain and primarily use magic, as unlike warriors, who's bodies are constantly in a fortified state from their mana flowing freely, those who main magic mostly have their mana concentrated in one spot.

They basically exist to avoid the whole 'Glass Cannon' ordeal.

But that also means physical reinforcement are mostly for personal use, since such a magic would only be most compatible with oneself.

Afterall, if a fire mage casted a fire attribute reinforcement spell on a warrior with a different attribute (or worse, an Ice or Water attribute), it might lead to all sorts of complications. The more conflicting the attributes, the greater the problems.

On the other hand, Life Attribute reinforcement magic is a completely different story all together. Able to have maximum affect regardless of the other's attribute. (Except for the undead, but those are exceptions)

In fact, Life attribute are the best when it comes to reinforcement, as their effects are also multiple times more potent than their other attribute counter parts. 

With those kinds of spec, it's no wonder everyone was taken aback.

The battle quickly turned its tide with the addition of the buff spell. As the Rolt group's injuries piled up, the vanguard began slowly push them back.

Though unbeknownst to everyone (but me), there was an extra Rolt who was secretly approaching our group atop the trees. I actually noticed it much earlier, but upon realizing its target was me, I didn't bother alerting and distracting the others. 

Appearance wise, it looked a little different from a normal Rolt, being slightly smaller and far more agile, enough to glide across the trees without being perceived. Moreover, it's fur was closer to yellow compared to the brown dirt-like hue of the others, with some patches even being golden.

*Growl*

"LUNA!"

Once it was close enough, it revealed itself by pouncing towards me from the top of the tree, alarming the nearby Hyug who called out to me.

Naturally, I wouldn't be done in by something like this whatsoever. Swiftly dodging its strike, I countered by bombarding it Lightning Tendrils. Yet despite being hit at a fairly close distance, it barely affected it.

"I'm fine! I'll deal with it, focus on the others!" I told Hyug and the others who were alerted by my plight, before leading the strange Rolt away from our group.

As expected, the Rolt rigorously followed me as I continued to retreat.

Frankly, I have no idea how it became agroed on me. Was it because I was harassing its brethren with my spells? But then Hyug and Della was doing better than me with their harassment tactics. 

Or maybe it was because it saw noticed me casting the Reinforcement Spell? If so, then this guy's pretty smart.

After moving a little farther from the group, I casted something it probably wasn't expecting. I could already cast three circle spells and below on a whim, so I didn't need to pre-engrave the spell on a card.

[(Light Attribute) 2 Circle Spell - Flashbang]

The poor beast roared as the flash of light temporarily blinded and disoriented it. It was only an expected outcome, since its eyes prior had already adjusted itself to the dimly lit area.

Not wasting time, I kicked its stomach with such a force that it flew backwards, slamming into a nearby tree. Not giving it time to recover, I activated one of the other card I drew with lightning quick reflexes.

[(Light Attribute) 4 Circle Spell - Heavy Binding]

Tentacles of light manifested around the big rodent and the tree it crashed into, tightly wrapping around them.

Without a millisecond later, I dash towards it and delivered a flurry of punches to its head, jaw, and body.

Although I didn't allow mana to flow around my body and even held back considerably, each hit probably felt like a hammer to it, considering my physical specs.

Having been heavily tied, it could only helplessly accept my assault, squealing in anguish.

You can't call this animal abuse, since this fucker tried to abuse me first.

By the time it recovered, I'd already distanced myself from it, leaving a poor battered beast stuck to a broken tree. It howled with such unbridled fury and its eyes burned with scorching rage.

I even felt its mana wildly surge around its body, giving it the strength to finally free itself from the ropes of light.

"Hey, its just a few punches and a kick! Why so salty?" 

Now, that was refreshing! I always wanted to lay a smackdown with reckless abandon, I just saw the chance here and took it. Unfortunately, he didn't quite seem to like being a punching bag.

*ROAR* 

With another loud and thunderous howl, the Rolt leaped towards me with unimaginable ferocity.

"Welp, here we go again."

Drawing another two cards from my pack, I began the second round with Mr. Angry Roided Out Rodent.

 

 

---

 

 

[Extra: A Salty Vengeance]

 

"Fuck, who the hell's protecting the bot lane, it's getting demolished!" Lunas screamed at the microphone under his headset.

"Sorry bro, I'm dead. I can't do shit." One of his teammate answered bitterly, impatiently looking at his respawn countdown.

The match had already lasted for over 20 minutes, as what was originally an even fight slowly tilted against their side.

"David! Milo!" Lunas couldn't help but yell towards his other teammates who were still alive, hoping they could be of assistance.

"Can't help either dude, mid lane's bout to get fucked up if we don't protect it."

"Yeah man, we're getting 2v3'd over here. Where the fuck are you even on?"

"I'm rushing to top right now, there's a fucker digging on to it." Seeing everyone else being helpless, Lunas was growing ever more nervous.

Upon reaching the battlefield, Lunas immediately attempted to chase away the enemy trying to destroy their tower. Seeing the enemy being a level higher than his, he knew this would be far from easy. 

And he was right, even with the aid of the tower, he could barely repel the enemy, but by then it was already too late, he could only watch helplessly as the turret crumbled to the ground.

Anger and frustration burned within his heart, the only way to remedy this was vengeance, as such, Lunas chased the retreating enemy down, hoping to kill them before pushing and destroying their tower.

Thankfully, the previous bout had already lowered the enemy's health considerably. Without much choice, the enemy could only continuously retreat.

Yet just as Lunas was about to land the finishing blow, another member of the enemy team ambushed him from behind, killing him and saving the enemy Lunas was chasing.

That alone would've been enough to infuriate Lunas, but what truly broke him was the final act of the enemy.

With their sliver of health, the near dead enemy Lunas was aiming for proceeded to taunt his dead corpse just before he lost vision on their area.

'No! he did not just...that fucking—'

It was the final straw, he knew he had to do something, but try as he might, there was nothing he could think of. His team was falling apart, their jungle had been continuously invaded, and the lane he had so desperately defended was soon to be in ruins.

They were completely at the mercy of their opponents.

Suddenly, just as his anguish was about to turn into despair, one idea flashed into his mind. It was a rather cowardly idea, but he knew if he let this go, it might haunt him for the rest of the day.

'Maybe we can't defeat you, but he can.'

Seeing he only had about 40 or so seconds left to respawn, he bolted out of the room, running towards the only source of hope in such a desperate situation.

Rushing to the living room, he found Niel around the corner. He was in the middle of fixing a cabinet, one that Lunas... broke, earlier.

'Oh, right. I almost forgot about that.'

Some time ago, Lunas was messing around, which eventually led to one of the cabinet doors breaking. In desperation, he attempted to...uh...'fix' the damn thing, to such a degree that the next time Niel touches it and it 'breaks down', Niel might mistake it as himself being the one to break it.

He felt somewhat guilty, but right now, it doesn't matter, there are far greater things at stake.

"Niel!" Lunas called out to his best friend, with nary a hint of shame from his prior action.

"What?"

"I need your help!"

"huh?—"

"No time to explain, just follow me!" Lunas immediately dragged the confused Niel back, not even giving him time to process what was happening.

Arriving just as he was about to respawn, Lunas forced Niel to his seat, commanding him to win the game at all cost.

Although Niel was still a little skeptical at what was happening, he still did as Lunas asked nonetheless.

"Why was this the character you chose?" Seeing who he would be playing as, Niel slightly furrowed his brows.

"Yeah, well, she's my new main!" Lunas cheerfully answered him, ignoring his somewhat dissatisfied look.

"Your main is trash."

"She's not trash, you just have bad taste."

Despite grumbling, Niel still did his job thoroughly, not only skillfully playing using Lunas's character, but also taking command of the team.

Over time, the tide slowly turned to their favor, leaving Lunas to start grinning while watching from the side. Niel even killed the enemy who taunted Lunas on several occasions at his request, all the while repaying the taunt Lunas received with his own taunts.

Soon, everyone gathered for one decisive battle, and Niel's true potential was finally revealed.

[Double Kill!]

[Triple Kill!]

[Quadra Kill!]

[Penta Kill!]

The final battle was a complete one-sided match, with Niel's group coming out without a single one dead and Niel personally dealing the killing blow for all five enemies in a row.

By the end of the game, everyone in Lunas's group were joyful to find themselves rising in the ranks, Lunas himself finally ascending from silver to gold tier.

It was the last match of the day, and by far the most exciting one for the group, causing quite a lively discussion. After everyone said their final goodbyes for the day, Lunas left the voice chat and logged off his account.

Just as he stood up from his seat, he found Niel, who should've left earlier, standing by the door staring at him. Countless thoughts ran around his head until finally remembering his mistake.

Even though Niel was simply standing there silently, Lunas couldn't help but feel a chill climbing up his back.

"U-Uh, What is it?" He tried to remain calm, but a slight stutter still managed to escape.

"I just want to know, was it you who broke the cabinet in the living room?"

"W-Well, a-about that..." Lunas tried to say a few vague lines, but seeing the cold pair of eyes staring at him, his voice slowly shrank, until soon, only one sound escaped him.

 

*Gulp*

 

◊◊◊

 

David: By the way, since Niel is that good at the game, why didn't you bring him to our team when playing ranked matches?

Lunas: Trust me buddy, I would've done that if I could, but I can't.

Milo: Why? Does he hate playing the game?

Lunas: Oh no no, quite the contrary. He's currently at the Champion King Rank, so he wouldn't be able to play ranked with us even if he wanted to.

Deric: Wait, seriously?

Lunas: Yeah, seriously! He was actually the one who introduced the game to me, which led me to introducing it to you guys. I was pretty shocked back then, since I never knew he had games he played without me.