Chapter 330 Druid?
"Now I wonder, where did you learn that fighting style from? It's a mixture of martial arts and a very advanced movement technique, as if honed through the deathly struggle against monsters and supernatural beings," the Leader uttered after seeing how Daniel moved.
Daniel didn't answer; his eyes were staring straight at the Leader Enforcer, observing every movement, looking for an opening and weakness.
The Enforcer presumed that Daniel's silence was an acceptance of the fact. He also noticed that Daniel's every movement and habit in battle were the same as someone he had fought during WW2.
"Tell me, Magitek. Who are you… exactly? Where were you during the 10 years that you disappeared from the world?" The Enforcer leader asked.
Daniel still did not answer. His every instinct and sense were focused entirely on the movement of his opponents and the surroundings.
"No mood to talk? But, I think I know where you received your training. Does the 'Hunter Association' name ring a bell?" asked the Enforcer Leader.
Daniel still kept his silence.
"I see, you Hunters are all the same… you don't have a habit of talking to your enemies, and this is also your greatest weakness…" Suddenly, the Enforcer leader moved his hand upward, shoving it toward Daniel's direction, and electricity sparks started to fly out of his hand.
The electricity surrounded Daniel within a large area, caging both Daniel and the neutralized Enforcer lying on the ground nearby. Now he couldn't evade or do anything to stop the Enforcer Leader's next action.
"You Hunters have a habit of waiting for your opponent to move and counter! That can be used against mindless beasts and monsters you fought, but not humans!" The Enforcer Leader shouted in glee, prideful of his experience fighting those hunters and eliminating them, which would now lead to capturing the infamous Magitek.
"Echo-1! No! Release me first!" The Enforcer who was trapped along with Daniel shouted at his leader.
"Your sacrifice will be remembered, Echo-2," said the Enforcer leader before unleashing his magic toward Daniel.
But at this moment, Daniel waved his hand with a snap of his fingers, sinking his mind into his mindscape and activating one of his spell cards.
…
Card: Spell Core Penetration
Picture: Illustration featuring a mage pointing at the shattered remains of his opponent's spell, disintegrated by a simple act of spell disruption.
Rarity: Rare
Type: Quick Spell
Mana Cost: 1 Water
Description: Destroy a target Non-Creature and Non-Artifact Casting Spell with 3 or lesser mana cost.
Flavor text: Exposing the vulnerability of your opponent's spell—like a snail with a fragile shell.
Crack! Clank! Whoosh!
The unfolding magical energy, akin to glass about to shatter under a hammer's force, was instantly disrupted.
…
"What... is that... thing!?" Pride exclaimed in awe and disbelief.
From her perspective, an imperceptible spear-like spell construct had pierced through the forming spell core in the hand of the Enforcer leader, obliterating the entire spell in one swift strike.
Certainly, Pride possessed the ability to achieve such feats, but not against an opponent of the Enforcer leader's caliber. Skilled mages could channel magic rapidly, causing the spell core to move in sync with their casting habits. The speed of this movement was beyond the naked eye's perception, ranging from the pace of a speeding sports car to the swiftness of light itself.
Given the Enforcer Leader's expertise, even if his spell core didn't move at the speed of light, it would still traverse at least the speed of sound, making it impossible for Pride to disrupt the spell core.
"What!? ...What happened!?" The Enforcer Leader exclaimed, alarmed, quickly retreating to a safer distance as his casting spell met a sudden disruption.
"You! You did it, didn't you!? Pride! You destroyed my spell!" The Enforcer turned toward Pride, who was watching from the side, her stunned and bewildered expression still evident.
"No! It's not me! I can't even perceive a spell core at that kind of speed!" Pride vehemently denied the accusation.
"What's wrong? Don't tell me that you are so bad that you miscast your spell?" Daniel taunted.
"Heh… Taunting me, are you? It's not working." The Enforcer leader then began to cast his new spell.
This time, he proceeded slowly, ensuring the sturdiness of his spell structure without overexerting himself.
As for Daniel, trapped within the electric cage with the Enforcer called Echo-2, he waited patiently for the spell-construction process.
In truth, while Daniel appeared patient, he was somewhat restricted. His own mana was constrained by the Enforcer's 'Word of Power' effect, preventing him from efficiently accessing the universal pocket. This meant he couldn't tap into his reserves stored in the 'Mana Vial.'
He could only utilize one water mana from the 'Grand Privilege Hotel' that he had converted into his mana-drawing node. Since this mana belonged to the land, it wasn't considered his, and it remained unrestricted.
Entering combat with this limitation, Daniel had three enchantments on his hand that weren't useful in this situation. The others were some artifact spells that were also irrelevant. He had just used one spell card to destroy the Enforcer's previous spell.
The only remaining card was designed to return a target creature to its owner's hand, an option Daniel hesitated to use. He had numerous questions for this Enforcer leader and preferred capturing him alive. It seemed like this guy held information about the ritual that had occurred during that fateful day.
For that purpose, Daniel needed to search for a new card to navigate out of this predicament.
…
Card: Archmage
Type: Enchantment - Profession
Level 4: When casting a Spell, Quick Spell, or Enchantment, you may search your deck for a card and add it to your hand.
Level 5: You may cast three Spells, Quick Spells, or Enchantments for free and cast them as if they are Quick Spells, up to 3 times each turn.
…
Now the question arises: should he choose an enchantment-
destroying card, or opt for more spell-destroying cards with a stronger effect?
At this moment, the Enforcer leader had already completed his spell and was on the verge of releasing it.
From Pride's perspective, the spell structure was dense and formidable; there was no way she could quickly dismantle it with her power alone, especially without resorting to her demonic form or the specialized equipment she typically used in battle.
"This time, even if Pride wanted to help you, she can't do it!" The Enforcer leader asserted confidently before unleashing his magic. However, in a sudden turn of events...
Snap!
With a snap of his fingers, Daniel activated another card in his mindscape.
…
Card: Spell Disruption
Picture: Illustration featuring a blue-robed mage using magic to disrupt a large fireball spell the size of a house, rendering it useless.
Rarity: Rare
Type: Quick Spell
Mana Cost: 1 Water
Description: Destroy target Non-Creature and Non-Artifact Casting Spell, unless its controller pays 3 Non-Elemental mana.
Flavor text: The larger the spell, the more vulnerable it is to disruption.
…
Suddenly, the Enforcer leader felt like his spell was spiraling out of control. If he didn't intervene, it would collapse entirely once again.
He glared grudgingly at Pride, realizing that her unique ability to destroy others' casting spells was something he couldn't replicate, given his inability to perceive their spell structures.
"You!!!! Pride!!! Graaaaahhh!" The Enforcer leader roared in frustration.
"Goddamn it, I didn't do it! I swear!" Pride shouted back, feeling indignant. She was merely observing and minding her own business. If he still persisted in blaming her once more, she was ready to assist Daniel in dealing with him and be done with it!
"Yes, she's right. She didn't do it. The spell fails on its own... because you suck," Daniel taunted once again.
This time, the taunt worked. The Enforcer increased his mana output, pushing it to the maximum capacity his mana vein could hold. He struggled to regain control over his spell and the feeling of being in control of his spell returned once again.
Since Daniel had included more than one 'Spell Disruption' card in his mindscape deck, he swiftly searched for another and activated it.
Snap!
Once again, the Enforcer felt his spell teetering on the edge of failure. Now, he began questioning his own abilities. Was it because he emphasized strengthening the spell structure too much? Did the formula change due to injecting too much mana? He couldn't find a clear reason.
"Am... Am I that incompetent?" the Enforcer leader muttered to himself, oblivious to the fact that it was Daniel all along interfering with his spell.
Meanwhile, Echo-2, who was trapped with Daniel, sensed that the mana wasn't originating from Daniel but rather from the land beneath them. Naturally, he decided not to share this discovery with his leader, considering the attempted harm they both faced.
"Magitek... you can draw mana directly from the land without using your mana vein to convert it!? Are you... a Druid? No... a Grand Druid? Perhaps?" Echo-2 exclaimed in disbelief.
This was the first time he had encountered someone with the ability to draw mana from the land itself without the need for mana vein conversion, a skill typically associated with Druids.
"Who knows?" Daniel replied with a smirk, neither confirming nor denying Echo-2's speculation.
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