Chapter 189: Squad 69 Training Session (2)
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{}---『RUNEHEART』---{}
◇ Name: Horren Volc
◇ Age: 19
◇ Spellcore: Tier 2
◇ Rank: Third-Class Magus
◇ Magic Affinity: [Wind]
[Mana Resonance: (460/500)]
==[General Attributes]==
Strength: D-
Agility: C-
Endurance: D
Vitality: D
Perception: B+
==[Mage Attributes]==
Mana Control: C
Casting Speed: D+
Magic Power: D+
Mental Strength: E+
Mana Sensitivity: B+
Mana Essence: [1,800/1,800]
==[Innate Blessings]==
- [N/A]
==[Affinity Mastery]==
- [Wind (Advanced)]
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When Ruvian read through Horren’s [Character Sheet], a faint look of surprise and impress appeared on his face.
For starters, although his overall stats looked ordinary, fitting for a Class D scholar, yet what caught Ruvian’s attention was Horren’s mastery over the wind element. Not only that, his mana sensitivity and perception were also quite high.
’Huh? This guy... if properly polished, he could become a real asset.’
He was also already close to breaking through into Spellcore Tier 3. Ruvian slowly pulled himself away from his thoughts as movement began to gather at the center of the training field.
Two silhouettes gradually began taking shape.
Their forms were blurry at first, little more than distorted masses of mana, but with every passing second the outlines became clearer. Four legs. Broad shoulders. Long tails swaying behind them.
Yerin narrowed her eyes slightly as she stepped forward. "We’re going up against two Ashfang Wolves."
At the same time, she reached behind her back and unsheathed her longsword. "They usually hunt in pairs and rely heavily on coordination. They’re fast once they lock onto a target. Their claws aren’t the dangerous part. It’s their lunges. If they catch someone off balance, they won’t let go easily."
Yerin lowered her stance before glancing toward the rest of the squad.
"Me and Arlok will take the front."
Arlok grinned immediately and rolled his shoulders while lifting his poleaxe onto one side.
"Gladly."
"Shima," Yerin continued, "you stay mobile and look for openings. Don’t force direct clashes unless you’re sure you can finish the attack cleanly."
Shima gave a small nod while resting one hand near the hilt of her falchion.
"Got it."
Then Yerin looked toward the back.
"Horren and Ruvian will handle long range support. Keep pressure on them and watch our blind spots."
Horren adjusted his grip around the bow and quietly stepped farther behind the formation.
Ruvian simply nodded.
At the center of the arena, the summoning finally completed itself. The pale glow faded away completely, revealing the two Voidspawns standing side by side upon the platform.
The creatures were almost as big as fully grown humans, maybe even bigger from the way they stood. Thick dark grey fur covered their entire bodies like piles of burnt ash stuck to their skin.
Their limbs looked long and twisted, especially their front legs, making their bodies lean low like wild predators ready to jump at any moment as they slowly prowled across the stone floor.
Sharp claws scraped lightly against the surface while their tails swayed behind them in slow movements.
Still, the most unsettling were their eyes, as both creatures possessed narrow crimson pupils that seemed to glow inside deep hollow sockets. The moment they fully materialised, their gazes immediately locked onto them.
Then one of the wolves lowered its head and released a deep growl that echoed heavily throughout the training hall. The second followed right after, baring its rows of jagged teeth.
The moment the wolf finished growling, both creatures suddenly burst forward. Their claws scraped violently against the stone floor as they rushed toward the group with frightening speed. The arena floor itself seemed to tremble beneath their heavy steps.
"Incoming," Yerin warned calmly.
Yet despite the charging Voidspawn, neither she nor Arlok showed even the slightest panic.
Yerin stepped forward first.
A faint crimson glow immediately spread along the edge of her longsword as fire mana gathered around the blade. The nearest Ashfang Wolf lunged toward her with its jaws wide open, aiming directly for her shoulder.
But before it could even reach her...
She easily dodged it, not so much of an effort.
Then, her sword flashed upward in a clean arc, a streak of fire cut across the air.
The wolf let out a sharp cry as the slash tore across its side, sending the creature stumbling away before it could properly land.
At almost the same moment, the second wolf leapt toward Arlok.
"Hah!" Arlok laughed loudly and planted one foot forward. Instead of retreating, he swung his massive poleaxe head-on. The heavy weapon crashed directly into the wolf mid-lunge with brutal force.
Bang!
The entire body of the creature was smashed sideways before rolling violently across the stone floor. Dust scattered everywhere. Ruvian quietly watched from the back while holding his wand loosely in one hand.
’...They are better than I expected.’
Yerin immediately pressed forward before the injured wolf could recover. Flames flickered briefly beneath her feet as she accelerated again.
The Ashfang Wolf attempted to retaliate with a swipe of its claws, but Yerin easily parried the attack before driving her blade straight across its neck.
A burst of fire exploded from the impact.
The creature dispersed into light particles moments later.
Meanwhile, Arlok had already cornered the second wolf almost by himself.
The Voidspawn circled around him while growling aggressively, clearly searching for an opening. Yet every time it tried to move closer, Arlok forced it back with wide heavy swings from his poleaxe.
The sheer pressure alone kept the creature pinned down.
"Tch. You’re too slow," he muttered.
The wolf suddenly lowered its body before attempting another desperate lunge.
Right then, a sharp streak of lightning flashed past.
Shima finally moved. Her body darted across the side of the battlefield with surprising speed before her falchion sliced cleanly across one of the wolf’s hind legs.
"No, you’re the slow ones."
The creature dispersed into bright particles immediately. And just like that, the two Lesser-Rank Voidspawns had already been defeated without much trouble at all.
"Hey, short legs! You stole my kill!"
Arlok shouted with an exaggerated offended look on his face while pointing his poleaxe toward Shima.
Shima casually swung her falchion to shake away the remaining dust before resting it back on her shoulder.
Her face remained completely aloof.
"Well, that’s literally my job," she replied flatly. "I attack when I see an opening. What else was I supposed to do? Wait another ten years for you to finally swing that giant pole?"
Horren immediately snorted from the back.
Meanwhile, Arlok looked utterly betrayed.
"Oi! This thing is heavy, alright?! Great warriors need dramatic timing!"
"Don’t give me that bullshit. You’re just slow and have bad timing," Shima answered right away.
The two immediately continued bickering back and forth while throwing insults at each other like children.
Ruvian simply ignored them and slowly walked toward Yerin.
"I think we should increase the difficulty immediately," he said calmly. "There’s no point wasting time fighting things that barely pressure us. We need something that can actually help us improve."
Yerin turned toward him thoughtfully.
"I guess you’re right."
She rested her sword lightly against one shoulder before contemplating for a moment.
"Any suggestions?"
Before Ruvian could answer, Arlok suddenly interrupted loudly from the side.
"Let’s fight a Wretched-Rank straight away! That’s more my level!" He slammed the end of his poleaxe against the floor proudly.
Yerin glanced back toward Ruvian again.
Ruvian simply gave a small smirk before nodding to it.
"Well, he’s not exactly wrong. Either we fight larger groups of Lesser-Ranks or move directly toward two Wretched-Ranks."
Then his eyes briefly shifted toward the inactive summoning array at the center of the hall.
"Honestly, we might as well do both."
Because once they arrived on that island, peaceful moments would become extremely rare. Voidspawns would appear constantly from every direction possible. And when that time came, nobody would care whether they were tired or not.
Shima suddenly spoke up while crossing her arms.
"How about we fight a bigger group first? At least this slowpoke over here can finally hit something properly with that oversized metal stick of his."
She said it while casually pointing her thumb toward Arlok.
Then Arlok laughed loudly.
"Ohooo... you got a pretty big mouth for someone your size."
He lifted his poleaxe onto his shoulder while grinning at her.
"You wanna go for one round right now?"
Shima immediately looked him straight in the eyes.
The atmosphere between them instantly became sharper, almost like sparks were about to fly out at any second.
"You bet I want."
But right before the two could continue, a sharp gust of wind suddenly blasted between them.
Fwoosh!
Both of them blinked before turning toward the source.
Ruvian slowly lowered his wand.
"Would both of you stop fighting for five damn minutes?"
Arlok clicked his tongue.
"Tch."
Shima simply looked away.
Ruvian dejectedly sighed.
’Haa... these children.’
Then he lightly raised one finger.
"How about this..."
The others looked toward him with puzzled expressions.
"Instead of focusing on teamwork drill immediately, why not we warm up first with something more fun?" (+20PP)
Yerin tilted her head slightly.
"What do you mean by that?"
Ruvian smiled faintly.
"Just like what Shima suggested... let’s fight against a larger group of Lesser-Rank Voidspawns and see who gets the most kills."
Then he added casually.
"Just for fun. We can’t stay overly serious during our first training session, right?" (+20PP)
For a moment, silence filled the room.
Then Arlok suddenly grinned.
"Ha! Fine by me!"
Shima also gave a small shrug.
"Sure."
Ruvian then turned toward the remaining two.
Horren already nodded almost immediately.
"I don’t really mind."
That only left Yerin.
The others quietly waited for her answer.
A few seconds later, Yerin finally let out a small playful smile.
"Hmm... well, that does sound pretty fun." (+20PP)
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[Chapter 189: Squad 69 Training Session (2)]
Plot Points= 31,430
