LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 115: The Dragoon.
Profile:
Name: Faron Nordor
Level: 113
Race: Human
Age: 51 Years
Job: Freelancer
Status:
Health: 1199/1199 Mana: 2141/2141
Strength: 4061 Intelligence: 1312
Vitality: 3712 Wisdom: 2531
Agility: 3059 Stamina: 5489/5489
Effects: [Crystallized (Lungs)(Moderate)]
Unique Skill:
[Skylord Lv. 3]
Skill:
Magic skills and related:
[Mana Efficiency Lv. 7]
[Arcane Mind Lv. 4]
[Mana Control Lv. 5]
[Wind Magic Lv. 9]
[Wind Amp]
[Wind Magic Efficiency]
[Chant Revocation Lv. 1]
[Silent Casting Lv. 3]
[Mental Warfare Lv. 2]
[Fluid Cast Lv. 1]
Physical skills and related:
[Unarmed Technique Lv. 6]
[Unarmed Mastery Lv. 9]
[True Sword Technique Lv. 4]
[True Sword Mastery Lv. 2]
[True Spear Technique Lv. 5]
[True Spear Mastery Lv. 4]
[Mana Strike Lv. 8]
[Stamina Strike Lv. 10]
[Mind’s Eye Lv. 4]
[All Damage Enhancement Lv. 2]
[Artorian Lionheart Swordsmanship Lv. 10]
[Dragoon Spearmanship Lv. 8]
Senses and movement skills:
[Stealth Lv. 8]
[Accuracy Correction Lv. 8]
[Detection Sensor Lv. 1]
[Concentration Lv. 8]
[Foresight Lv. 3]
[Probability Correction Lv. 9]
[Danger Perception Lv. 10]
[Enhanced Vision Lv. 9]
[Enhanced Auditory Sense Lv. 8]
[Enhanced Olfactory Sense Lv. 3]
[Tracking Lv. 8]
[Night Vision Lv. 10]
[Presence Killer Lv. 7]
[Evasion Lv. 10]
[Acrobatic Lv. 10]
[Air Walk Lv. 6]
[Terrain Maneuvering Lv. 8]
[Mid-Air Maneuvering Lv. 9]
[Superior Aerial Fighter Lv. 3]
[Superior Mounted Fighter Lv. 6]
Resistance:
[Physical Super-Resistance Lv. 8]
[Absolute Pain Tolerance]
[Mental Corruption Resistance Lv. 6]
[Abnormal Status Nullification]
[Mind Protection Lv. 4]
[Advance Abnormal Status Resistance Lv. 6]
[Fear Resistance Lv. 6]
[Arcane Corruption Resistance Lv. 5]
[Lava Resistance Lv. 2]
[Lightning Resistance Lv. 3]
[Ice Resistance Lv. 4]
[Mud Magic Lv. 1]
[Sacred Resistance Lv. 1]
[Inferno Resistance Lv. 2]
[Torrent Resistance Lv. 1]
[Terra Resistance Lv. 2]
[Storm Resistance Lv. 5]
[Tenebrous Resistance Lv. 1]
Stat growth and related:
[Health Recovery Lv. 7]
[Mana Recovery Lv. 3]
[Stamina Recovery Lv. 8]
[Prime Vigor Lv. 4]
[Enhanced Mana Growth Lv.´8]
[Enhanced Mana Capacity Lv. 5]
[Herculean Power Lv. 3]
[Enhanced Intelligence Growth Lv. 8]
[Enhanced Intelligence Enforcement Lv. 5]
[Indomitable Bulwark Lv. 5]
[Sage’s Wisdom Lv. 2]
[Speed of Sonic Lv. 1]
[Unyielding Endurance Lv. 3]
Others:
[Dancing Lv. 5]
[Handicraft Lv. 7]
[Woodworking Lv. 6]
[Identity Blocker Lv. 10]
[Identify Lv. 6]
[Monster Tamer Lv. 8]
[Monster Synergy Lv. 6]
[Tranquil Mind Lv. 3]
[Cooking Lv. 1]
[Dismantle Lv. 10]
[Tyrant’s Aura]
[Seductive Aura Lv. 6]
[Benevolent Aura Lv. 2]
[Admiration Lv. 7]
[Ladies’ Man]
[Starvation Lv. 6]
[Royal Etiquette Lv. 9]
[Instruction Lv. 7]
[Commander’s Aura]
[Thought Acceleration Lv. 4]
[High-Speed Calculation Lv. 2]
[Supreme Rider Lv. 7]
Ability List:
Unarmed abilities:
[Dragoon Jump]
[Gale Steps]
[Dracobody]
[Punch]
Artorian Lionheart Sword abilities:
[Stabbing Charge]
[Storm Devastation]
[Calling Wind]
[Vortex of Talons]
[Griffon’s Claw]
[Bird of Prey]
[Nordor Style: Voidlight Erasure]
Dragoon Spear abilities:
[Dragoon Dive]
[Spiral]
[Wind’s Trail]
[Nordor Style: White Griffon’s Descent]
[Nordor Style: Highwind]
Spell List:
Custom spells:
[Wind Gust]
[Enchant: Wind]
Wind spells:
[Wind Bullet]
[Wind Cutter]
[Air Shield]
[Air Shield]
[Wind Slash]
[Swift Winds]
[Wind Blast]
[Featherfall]
Title:
[Rider of Storms]
[Wing Ripper]
[Doting Family Man]
Caliarus
A beautiful swordspear crafted by dwarven techniques in a dragon fire furnace, using both draconic and griffon materials. Due to the use of eoriant and andurium in its creation, this weapon boasts high durability, strength, and nimbleness. An unbreakable blade made from a dragon’s fang, and the wing feathers of a griffon used to decorate the crossguard; this weapon can show its full potential even in the worst of storms.
Skill
[Mana Conductor Lv. 8] [Mana Efficiency Lv. 5] [Sword Mastery Lv. 8] [True Spear Mastery Lv. 1] [Decreased Weight Lv. 7] [All Damage Enhancement Lv. 3] [Herculean Power Lv. 5] [Speed of Sonic Lv. 5] [Unyielding Endurance Lv. 5] [Superior Aerial Fighter Lv. 1] [Mid-Air Maneuvering Lv. 5] [Mind’s Eye Lv. 5] [Durability Loss Reduction Lv. 10] [Wind Pressure Nullification] [Explosion Pressure Nullification]
Rune
[Enchantment Rune: Lightning] [Magic Rune: Tornado Bullet] [Defense Rune: Auracoil] [Defense Rune: Pavise] [Passive Rune: Life Steal] [Passive Rune: Clean Blade] [Attack Rune: Triple Strike]
His profile and weapon are OP! That description box isn’t a text anymore, it’s an essay!
I was allowed to look at the guild master’s profile and weapon; considering he already knew my status, it was just fair. I knew he was supposedly an A rank adventurer, but that still didn’t prepare me for the absolute surprise of his status. What was he? Some “I trained for all my life and I became OP” character from a light novel? He’s strong, like, so fucking strong!
If I were to compare him to the many people I’ve met in my life, then he would definitely be stronger than Master Kush, but his stats were lacking compared to Astalos, that B rank wyvern I met in Belzac Forest. Even then, I think Farron’s skills were superior to Astalos’s. There was also the power of items; Farron was a human and able to equip himself with weapons, armor, and elixirs.
I was earnestly grateful. I’ve been stealthily identifying the weapons and catalysts from the other adventurers, but nothing caught my eye. On a fantasy scale, they were normal and uninspiring. However, what was this “Caliarus?” It was a top-tier weapon, that was what it was. The sense of awe I had for the weapon was great…but so was my fear for it.
H-Hey, why is he bringing that weapon of mass murder to this spar?!
“W-Wait, hold on! This is a spar, a spar! Why are you bringing that overpowered weapon just to have a fight with me?! You’re not actually trying to kill me, right? RIGHT?!” I asked, dread filling my head from the sight of that weapon.
“Huh?!” Farron uttered with surprise. “Kiddo, did you hit your head on the way out? You said you wanted to spar with me, so here I am. Why would you think something that crazy?”
“O-Oh, yeah? Well, then why are you bringing that?!” I pointed at his weapon.
It wasn’t just his weapon that I was wary of, but also his skills and titles
Skylord
A skill given to an extraordinary aerial fighter. Reduces wind elemental damage and pushback by 50%. As long as the user fights or uses an attack from the air, their damage will be increased by 100% + ([Skylord Lv. X]* 10%)
Mind’s Eye
Increases the sharpness or destruction capability of a weapon, enabling them to damage hardened metal, shells, or barriers better. Reduces durability loss of weapons and protects attacks using the body
Monster Tamer
A skill designed to support the relationship between beast and master. Improves the training of a tamed monster, increasing the amount of experience and skill proficiency they gain. Increases trust of tamed monsters
Monster Synergy
While the user is fighting with their tamed monsters, increases those tamed monsters’ parameters by 5% * [Monster Synergy Lv. X]
Rider of Storms
A title given to a superb rider who has ridden and prevailed through numerous trials on their monster mount. The Mana and Stamina cost of [Air Walk] will become 0. While fighting on a monster mount in the sky, increases the user’s and mount’s parameters by 30% each
Wing Ripper
A title given to those who are recognized as a hunter of winged creatures. If the attacked creature possesses wings, increases damage to them by 10%. Increases the destruction on the creature’s wings if hit
Doting Family Man
A title given to a family-oriented man who will do anything to protect his family, and who has proven his resolve. Increases all parameters by 15% if a family member is in danger
It was insane. I actually hadn’t met a single monster tamer up until Farron. Considering how often it was used as a class in fantasy novels and games, I was disappointed that they weren’t more prevalent in Firwood. There was even a large forest filled with them right next door, ready for a “gotta catch 'em all” trip.
So, will he be using his monster partner or not? Thankfully, he said no; although I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination or not, it seemed he was quite reluctant to answer that question. Almost sad. Well, I had no right to pry, instead, I should be happy I didn’t have to deal with a 1v2. Still, I couldn’t be relaxed considering he had a ton of skills and title effects that gave him high damage multipliers. In a game, the higher your multipliers, the more dangerous you were.
Master Kush was, in his words, not a master of the arcane arts, yet but he was still able to overwhelm me with his refined magic casting and decision making once he got serious. Farron not only had higher stats than my dragonewt form, but also the advantage of techniques. How do you fight against somebody who knew the sword and spear, in and out? Undoubtedly, he would be the strongest opponent I had faced yet.
“Don’t worry about your safety, kiddo. I can manage my strength well enough even with all those skills. Your [Draconic Barrier] should be able to block most of it, so keep it up no matter what,” he responded off-handedly. Some people would consider his tone arrogant, but I thought it was more the confidence of somebody strong; it was warranted. “If I actually was intending to hurt you, I wouldn’t have changed my Job to ‘Freelancer.’ You want to witness my strength? Then let me show you what a former A rank adventurer can do.”
Sighing in exasperation, I handed him back his ID. “Jeez, you called me ‘kiddo’ again. Guild master, shouldn’t I be considered an adult at this age in Peolynca?”
Casually waving his hand, Farron returned to his starting location. The training field was currently barren as most of the adventurers had stopped training and were now watching us with the rest of the guild on the sidelines. The younger spectators had gleaming eyes focused on Farron, while the older ones were watching him with interest. Only the magicians and the four priests were curious about me.
To be expected. I don’t think I have much to offer to melee classes. Anyway…Sanctuary!
A glimmering barrier of light materialized around Farron and me. It was around the size of a baseball field, giving us enough room to fight while the barrier would protect anything outside from my stray spells. I could hear the awe and wows from the spectators.
“Ready, kiddo?”
After doing some stretching, he probably thought I would be ready. However, instead, I took out multiple bowls of stew and skewered meat. “Itadikimasu!” I shouted before gorging myself with all of Saori’s delicious food.
“W-Wait, she’s eating? Why is she eating so much before a fight?!”
“You’re gonna have cramps if you do it before a hard fight. Is she looking down at the guild master?”
“No, no, why did that fact catch your attention? We should be asking why she is doing this right in front of us! That commotion made it impossible to eat, and now she’s digging into all that delicious smelling food. Ahh, I can smell it from here!”
“You’re right! I’m still hungry!”
Noisy.
I do feel a bit guilty as I was the reason why they couldn’t eat, but why the hell weren’t they eating now? Stop complaining about useless stuff and go get some food then! You guys are about to witness a show. Now, speaking of food…
[Insatiable Glutton] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]
Insatiable Glutton
A status effect inflicted by the skill [Gluttonous]. While this status affliction is under effect, increase all parameters and stamina consumption by 20%. Stamina can overflow over the maximum capacity, by the amount consumed. This effect ends once Stamina is less than 100%
Gluttonous
A skill given to those with a voracious appetite, insatiable even after consuming large quantities of consumables. Increases Stamina regeneration from all sources. The skill [Starvation] cannot be received while this skill is in the owner’s profile. If the owner consumes food while Stamina is at maximum capacity, [Insatiable Glutton] is inflicted. If the owner would receive the status effects [Starvation] or [Exhaustion], they are instead inflicted with [Starving Weakling]. The skills combined are: [Prime Vigor Lv. 10], [Unyielding Endurance Lv. 10]
The [Gluttonous] skill was given to me after I evolved into a [Young Sunfang Dragon], fitting for a dragon who was known for being a voracious eater. Until now, I didn’t really have the opportunity to use it in a fight, but I knew from the description alone that it was immensely powerful. I had around 4000 Agility as a dragonewt, but what would happen if it got increased by 20%? That was 800 more Agility just from one skill. Crazy.
The biggest downside about it was that it was hard to maintain it. All of my dragon abilities cost Stamina and fighting, in general, was tiring. There was also the issue that could come up if my Stamina dropped to zero.
Starving Weakling
A status effect inflicted by the skill [Gluttonous]. While this status affliction is under effect, decrease all parameters by 50% but increase Stamina regeneration from all sources by 20%. The effects of [Starvation] and [Exhaustion] would activate too. This effect ends once Stamina is more than 0%
[Starvation] inflicted Health damage while [Exhaustion] weakened your body, making it feel lethargic and feeble. Combined these two debuffs with a 50% decrease in parameters and it would turn into a disaster. This skill was a double-edged sword.
However, I was a sunfang dragon. I had a very easy way to overcome all of this with my sun core. While the sun was still up, I could regenerate my Health, Mana, or Stamina using solar rays. With [Gluttonous]’s increased Stamina regeneration, I could eat mid-fight or use the sun to keep the effects of [Insatiable Glutton] on.
Farron’s stats are too high. If I want to win, I have to keep [Insatiable Glutton] active no matter what! However, it's already the afternoon…I will have to stop fighting once the sun is down. Well, good enough for me.
Once I gave my thumbs up, Farron assumed a fighting pose with his swordspear. Aside from his weapon, he had no other equipment. He had no armor, he was only wearing a simple jacket to ward off the cold. If his normal equipment was as well-made as his weapon, he would probably be ultra-buffed.
I felt anxious. I was confident in my strength, but I knew I still had a long way ahead of me to become strong. Astalos, the Leviathan, Master Kush, the Gods, and now Farron stood before me as hurdles. As an idol I didn’t seek combat power, but it was different for my monster side. I was nervous, but I also felt immense excitement. I didn’t want to admit that I was a battle junkie in the past, but maybe I was? Who knows.
Seeing as he wasn’t attempting to move first, I guess he conceded the first move to me.
Thanks~ Let the show begin!
“Music, start!” I yelled as the ear-busting sounds of guitars, violins, drums, and all other instruments boomed through the training field. Unlike [Air Shield], [Sanctuary] allowed air to go in and out of it, meaning everybody could hear this battle theme.
However, while the spectators might think I was just playing some music like what I did in the guild, for Farron who was the target of all this music, it was an attack. The reason for that was ‘cause of my skill [Idol].
Idol
A skill given to someone who has become accepted as an Idol by the populace. While the user is performing idol-like actions and others can witness it, all buffs already applied to the user will also affect the audience through the [Music Resonation] buff. Depending on the stage, others will only receive a certain percentage: 25%/50%/75%/100%. All acoustic-related attacks will be boosted. Access to the Idol System. The skills combined are: [Sacred Amp] [Synergist’s Oath Lv. 10] [Enhanced Auditory Sense Lv. 10] [Singing Lv. 10] [Dancing Lv. 10] [Musician Lv. 10]
“All acoustic-related attacks will be boosted.” The time for sound-based attacks to be fully implemented into my arsenal was here. Even without [Draconic Roar], I could make people bleed with my music.
“All buffs on!” Farron winced as he blocked his ears from my surprise attack. I could’ve used this opportunity to attack him with all my spells but what I needed to do first was close the stat gap with all my buffing spells. Stats weren’t everything, but it would be stupid to ignore them.
I technically could have done this before the battle began, but that wouldn’t be proper training. Saori made me aware that people will never, ever give you time to fully prepare during a fight. You had to be a seer or fortune teller to know when somebody wanted to ambush you, making it more practical to learn how to fully buff myself during a fight.
This acoustic attack was weak, but it gave me the time needed to buff up.
“May the Goddess of Wind bless me with her winds of protection, Air Shield!” Knowing he couldn’t give me more time to prepare, Farron endured through the pain and materialized a shield of wind around him, neutralizing my music attack. “Dragoon Jump! Dragoon Dive!”
The moment he shouted those abilities, Farron jumped up into the air like a kangaroo, nearly reaching the end of the [Sanctuary]. He then kicked the air with [Air Walk] and used this momentum to dive onto me like a descending meteor.
Fast! I thought, but it wasn’t fast enough since I had anticipated this. There were three options for him to reach me: [Stabbing Charge], [Dragoon Dive], and using [Wind Blast] to propel himself forward with his agility. However, two of these options were not available to him.
[Stabbing Charge] was a sword ability and weapon abilities can only be used with its corresponding weapon. The third option was also out of the question as he needed to chant his spells, unlike me, while his Agility was inferior to mine after all the buffs. His only option was the second one, making it easy to predict.
Wind Blast, I cast, blowing me out of the landing zone of his [Dragoon Dive]. A large dust explosion was caused by the landing, creating a crater and a cracked ground. “Dragoon” was an RPG class specialized in jumping and attacking with a spear from the sky, and I was fighting an expert in it. It sent chills down my spine.
Exciting! I thought, unable to suppress my grin.
Despite the awe I felt for this super-cool attack, I didn’t waste this window of attack. One parallel mind was still playing the battle music, albeit at a lower volume, so I still had eight other minds to cast spells. This was just a spar, not a real fight, so why not enjoy it with some good music? I still was able to use the myriads of spells I had in my arsenal to turn this training ground into my personal battlegrounds, after all.
Streams of [Lightning Bolt] shot at Farron with blinding speed. “Auracoil,” he said calmly, touching another rune on his blade. The [Air Shield] dispersed around him and was replaced by a bright, scale-like barrier. Once my lightning spells touched it, they immediately sizzled out, not even leaving a dent on this barrier.
“Good decision. Gale Steps,” he mumbled quietly, using footwork I wasn’t used to. Instead of a straight line, he weaved his body through the training field like a wandering breeze, zigzagging as he dodged any of my other spells.
I need to stop him.
Normally, when there was enough of a distance between me and my opponent, I would use this chance to fly up in the air with [Wind Blast] and stay there with [Air Walk]. Gaining the high ground, or air superiority, was my right as a dragon, enabling me to shower down spells with impunity.
…However, what can a whelp like me do before a “Skylord,” a “Rider of Storms,” the “Wing Ripper?” I needed my wings to properly stay in the air, and that would just increase [Wing Ripper]’s damage on me. Also, I will gladly admit I am just a noob compared to people who can actually fly or fight in the air. It wasn’t even a contest here. I know Farron’s status, so instead of being prideful and stupid, I’ll take the smart choice and stay outside his fighting area.
After all, shouldn’t a dragon fight in an arena advantageous to her?
“Terra Wall! Bedrock Blades! Rumbling Might!”
That’s right, there was no need for me to fight in the air. I was also an earth mage, I can control the tempo of the fight!
The earth moved at my command, turning the fields into a parkour area as sharp blades descended onto Farron. Even his [Gale Steps] was stopped by the quakes of the earth, breaking his posture and balance.
“Hmph, easy.” At that moment, Farron grasped the cross guard of his swordspear and pulled it down. The blade became longer while the handle decreased to the point the spear was transformed into a greatsword. “Vortex of Talons.”
Bending his knees, Farron lowered his body as he began slicing anything coming into his slashing field, staying steady despite how much the ground was shaking. As if it was butter, all my earthen blades and walls were sliced with ease, crumbling into debris. Even Saori or Master Kush wasn’t able to dispatch them this easy!
“Stabbing Charge.”
He dashed towards me. My [Foresight] and [Danger Perception] were ringing but the warning came too late. I couldn’t dodge, I had to defend. Purple flames began wrapped around my hands and tail, quickly turning yellow-ish before disappearing as they left behind a purple metal-like coating.
“Grck!” I groaned as I used my claws to divert the blade’s trajectory. Splinters of [Corrosive Fire]’s obsidian broke apart as I prevented the blade from hitting my face. Although I was protected by [Draconic Barrier], I knew with Farron’s Strength, this attack would have definitely dealt a lot of damage if it was a direct hit. I had to prevent it if I couldn’t dodge.
My hands might have been covered in the hard scales of a sunfang dragon, but I couldn’t risk injuring them. The obsidian from my flames was sturdy. I could raise my defense through them, but, in the end, they weren’t strong enough.
Regardless, it gave my scale-dust enough time to surround me. Opening my mouth, I gnashed my fangs together, creating a small spark leading into a gigantic explosion.
“Oi, what the fuck?! What is that priestess doing?!”
“Shit, is she suicidal?!”
Far from it.
[Scale-Dust Veil] was just a fancy name for my natural ability to spread scale-dust into the air, which was an explosive substance. As the one who could produce it, my body was naturally more resilient against it compared to a human. As I had the feeling I was the only dragonewt in town, I was sure that nobody could tell if I was actually a dragon in disguise. Even if I used a dragon breath attack, I could just say a dragonewt can use breath attacks, too.
There was currently a large cloud of smoke surrounding Farron and me, but I knew what was going on with [Detection Sensor]. As it exploded, Farron activated “Defensive Rune: Pavise,” creating a large magical shield before his weapon to defend against my attack, blowing him away from me without receiving any damage. I took a bit of damage, but everything was easily healed up with the automatic rejuvenation effect of [White Flames]. Instead of worrying about it, I instead started to grind my tail against the ground. This action ignited all the scale-dust currently under my tail’s scales, turning it into a searing flame spear.
Using [Wind Blast], I catapulted myself at Farron, somersaulted as I slammed my tail onto him. [Hellblade Edge], the signature ability of the “Hellblade Dragon” increased the destructive power of my tail, turning it into a lethal weapon able to slice even metal.
I was sure I was fast enough, I planned it to happen like this. Even my parallel minds agreed this was a great way to catch Farron off-guard. What warrior would expect a mage to deliberately challenge them in close combat? I might be a mage, but my Strength stat was no joke after all the buffs and stat multiplier.
Also, my tail was coated in the purple obsidian. My purple flames from [Corrosive Fire] and my natural crimson flames from my scale-dust; it was a combination of my most damaging flames and my toxic one. Even if I couldn’t do much damage to Farron, I would leave him poisoned due to the obsidian’s poison trait. I was sure that this attack would hit.
“Damn! That’s a nice attack, Hestia!” But it wasn’t enough. Farron guarded against my attack with his greatsword — the ground cracked and it seemed like I pushed him into the earth, but he was only smiling. “However, a young lady should act more modestly! Get down!”
Moving his blade dexterously, he disrupted my balance as my tail was on his blade. He spun me around before slamming the blunt part of the sword into my side.
“Ack!” I was able to narrowly block his attack with my arm, but that didn’t mean I didn’t take any damage. Since I started my path as a “Spark Fire Dragon,” I had always fought as if I was a glass cannon. I had high Strength and Intelligence, but my defenses were flimsy. Dodging was more efficient.
But not only was I forced to block one attack, but two of Farron’s attacks in a row. My [Draconic Barrier] was sturdy but even this skill couldn’t fully block an attack from a 4061 Strength swordmaster.
I was blown away like a ragdoll as my [White Flames] quickly surrounded my wounds, beginning the healing process. This automatic healing was amazing and was one of the reasons why I loved my white flames so much. By having it heal me automatically, I could free up a parallel mind from healing duty.
Even if I, the original mind, was preoccupied, my parallel minds wouldn’t miss an opportunity to attack. Eight magic circles appeared around Farron. This was the power of [Delayed Cast]. Normally, if I wanted to cast a spell, I had to go through the entire casting process without stop. Invocation, Incantation, and Activation- I had to go through each of them before the last step, Release.
However, with [Delayed Cast], I could begin the cast of a spell and use my mana to keep it active even if the magic circle hasn’t even been formed yet. With [Mana Eyes] I noticed a small mana signature whenever I experimented with it, too small to notice in the rush of combat. I could hide spells to surprise my opponents.
[Lava Stream], [Lava Ball], [Tornado Bullet], [Lightning Bolt], [Banishment Beam], and [Sacred Smite]. High damaging spells barraged Farron as he activated his auracoil once again to protect himself. Getting the chance to fight somebody with runes on his weapons made me want to learn about runes even more!
Luckily, the surprise attack seemed to have taken effect. Farron was fast, but he wasn’t fast enough with his rune activation. Under the auracoil, I could see sizzling coming from dark spots on his body, a result of being hit by [Lightning Bolt].
Using this chance, I began shooting out more and more spells without rest. I didn’t need to chant and I learned how to use my magic more efficiently from a true magic master; I could continuously use the same magic circle to repeatedly unleash the same spell with [Continuous Cast]. Runes needed mana to activate and maintain, and, similar to my [Draconic Barrier], the more damage the auracoil had to absorb, the more mana that Farron would lose. As a non-magician, he simply didn’t have enough Mana. In an attrition game, I would win.
Gotcha!
“Yes. Take advantage of my mistakes and shoot me down. Fully utilize your strengths while preventing mine!” Farron praised me as he kept shielding himself with auracoil. But that changed the moment his eyes brightened up. “Dracobody!”
Scales began covering his skin as he said that. It reminded me of a lizardman but without the long snout and tail. He disabled auracoil and began weaving his body through my barrage of spells, keeping up his footwork as he quickly advanced towards me with [Gale Steps]. If this wasn’t a fight, I would’ve been slightly enchanted by it, as it reminded me a bit of a dance.
However, my mind remained sharp. [Battle Mind] kept frivolous ideas like this out during a fight. I immediately began countering his movements by using the most effective attack in this situation: a roar.
“KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
Wide-ranged AOE attack with high damage potential. In the past, I used this ability to instantly kill a wyvern by shouting into its ear at point-blank range. Even Saori was caught by it and became temporarily deaf despite being further away than the wyvern. Now, with [Idol], this supersonic attack was heading towards Farron.
However, against my expectations, Farron stopped his movements, which caused him to get hit by a few of my spells. He transformed his sword back into a spear and then jumped up super high into the sky to avoid the worst of my [Draconic Roar].
Scheiße! He’s a warrior, I forgot!
I was a mage-pugilist hybrid who focused mostly on damage and support. Saori was an arcane trickster who used her dark magic and mana threads to trick and deceive people before landing the killing blow. Tasianna was an ice mage who could support us with her wide-range crowd control and defensive spells. The three of us all had different fighting styles but all of us had one thing in common: we were frail.
I had a pseudo tanking ability by either taking damage and then healing it up or using my [Draconic Barrier], but it wasn’t efficient against high damage attacks. However, Farron was different. He had high defenses and Health, making it possible for him to take on a few attacks without worry. So, unlike my party, he could afford to tank the damage from a few of my spells in order to avoid the more dangerous roar while continuing to close the distance between us.
He even used [Dracobody] which increased his defense even more.
Dracobody
An unarmed technique that transforms the user’s skin into dragonkin scales. Temporarily increases Fire elemental damage by 50% and magic resistance by 30%. Consumes both Stamina and Mana until dispelled
Dashing through the air with [Wind’s Trail], Farron’s movement speed couldn’t be compared to when he was on the ground and he quickly closed the gap between us. My parallel minds began shooting out spells at him, but that was futile as his body began twisting like a tornado, cleaving through my spells as “auracoil” activated once again.
[Spiral] to pierce through the air like a twister, while aiming at me with [Dragoon Dive] to send me falling on my back after he landed on the ground. That was his plan. As I tried to recover from the wind pressure, Farron changed his spear into a sword and used [Calling Wind]. His motions were quick and smooth, so smooth that it looked like no friction was caused.
Farron slashed downwards, pulling his sword behind him. Without warning, what felt like a claw pushed me forward towards Farron. Was it the wind or was it magic? In the short time I had left before Farron could slash at me, I used [Air Walk] to stop my body from moving mid-air.
“Wrong choice. Use [Wind Blast] next time. Again!” he uttered before punching me in my stomach.
“Gargh!” The air escaped my lungs as I flew through the air, tumbling on the ground before stopping. I had to clutch my stomach as I tried to stand up.
Scheiße! He got me! He got me good there!
[Draconic Barrier] blocked some of the damage but the impact of his fist caused my organs to shake violently. I felt nauseous. If it weren’t for [Absolute Pain Tolerance], I would definitely be wailing on the ground right now. Thankfully, my parallel minds knew me well enough to activate [Major Healing] almost immediately. The damage was completely healed.
Raising my head, my first thought was to find Farron, but my eyes couldn’t find him. My [Detection Sensor] told me he was in front of me but, where was he?
“My Lady shrine maiden, look up!” one of the priests shouted.
As I moved my head upwards, a spiraling tornado descended from the sky. It was Farron!
Purple Flash! Purple Flash! I thought immediately. Even if I avoided the attack itself, I couldn’t dodge the shockwave. If the same thing happened a few seconds ago, everything would just repeat. I had to get out of here!
Purple Flash
Like lightning, the caster can instantly cast one spell without any delay. The spell cast using this effect will cost thrice the mana cost
Instead of an offensive spell, the level two System spell I got from [Lightning Magic] was an instant cast. Through my experiments, I could even cast a long-winded spell like [Symphonie des Feuergottes] immediately, but the problem was the mana cost. The higher the initial cost, the more expensive it got. There was also the problem that I couldn’t use [Fluid Cast], [Delay Cast], nor [Continuous Cast] with the chosen spell. [Purple Flash] was a strong but niche spell.
By using [Purple Flash] twice, I could use two spells immediately. My targets were none other than [Warp Point: Entry] and [Warp Point: Exit]. “Urgh!” I moaned as I frowned, feeling a large quantity of Mana escaping my body, however, I endured. I slipped through the portal and completely evaded Farron’s attack and the aftermath.
I thought I could start my counterattack, but I was wrong. Taking a sharp punch into my gut and then using a ton of mana for two terribly Mana expensive spells took a toll on my mental stamina. My body couldn’t feel any fatigue as I haven’t even lost [Insatiable Glutton] yet, but my decision making was slowed. Ever since I had to defend against his first attack, my concentration was at an all-time high but for a split-second, I stumbled on my thoughts.
“Watch it, kiddo!” I heard somebody shout as I noticed Farron closing the distance with a somersault. With his swordspear, he slammed the mighty weapon on the ground as I barely avoided it. I wanted to take some time to regain my breath, but it wasn’t meant to be.
[Storm Devastation], that was the ability he used. It was a triple hit attack with the greatsword where he somersaulted and slammed his blade down like a hammer. I couldn’t afford to get hit. While I managed to avoid the second hit, I couldn’t dodge the last as the shockwave of the attack made me lose my balance.
S-Shit! Dreadflare Aura, now!
As the blade nearly hit my head, heat began to gather inside my body as cold sweat began to form on my face from the seeing the blade descending on my face. However, the blade gently swept to the side, a cold gust of wind assaulting my face instead. I instinctively deactivated [Dreadflare Aura] before releasing the accumulated heat.
As I was about to fall from my loss of balance, Farron grabbed my arm and pulled me back up. “What are you doing?! This might be a spar but that doesn’t give you the right to daydream! And what was that footwork?! That was a mistake which could have cost you your life!”
Eh?
Farron then stuck his blade into the ground, then began straightening my posture and pointing out flaws in my movement. “When you dodge, put more strength into your waist and butt. Stop moving your body by twisting it and relying on your [Evasion] skill! Put more weight to the bottom of your torso, that makes it harder to lose your balance.”
“Use your neck when you dodge. Look, just like this. You got that, kiddo? Move your head and use it as an arm to pull your body into the direction you want. This reduces Stamina usage by a bit.”
“You’re a mage. I can see your Magic Master trained you well on how to use spells to fight so stop fighting a warrior like a warrior! Defend, counterattack, back off. Defend, counterattack, back off. If I was serious, I would have cut your tail, back then!”
“Also, was that supposed to be a counter-attack or a defense? There is some lingering heat surrounding you so you must have tried to do something. Have you forgotten the fact that you’re a mage? Emergency defensive spells and abilities should be used last. You must do better to not get yourself pushed into the corner!”
Tips, tip, tips; Farron was showering me with numerous tips on how to move my body while also pointing out my faults. I gained quite a few thumbs up for my magic casting, but he found my battle sense a bit lacking, while outright criticizing my decision to fight in melee.
As I was listening to him, I couldn’t help but do some self-reflections on my own. I thought about not being able to find the time to use [Symphonie des Feuergottes], how I wasn’t able to use my scale-dusts properly ‘cause of my lack of wings, or how I just couldn’t break through his auracoil once.
I dealt some damage, yes, but considering Farron was able to capitalize on it and sent me into checkmate, I didn’t really consider it a success. There were some singed areas but that one decision to tank some of my spells gave him his victory.
Come to think about it, the moment he blocked my tail instead of cutting it, shouldn’t that have been enough for me to realize I could afford to use Symphonie and [Omnictus]? This might be a spar but why didn’t I go all-out at the beginning?
The answer was clear. I was too used to fighting Saori and Tasianna. I was even unintentionally holding back against Master Kush. I didn’t want to hurt any of them. I was an idiot. Strong people deserve to fight the strong, not the sympathetic.
So, this is the strength of an A rank adventurer? Could I defeat him in my dragon form? Pah, ludicrous. I’ll just become a larger target dummy for him.
I couldn’t use the sky to my advantage against him. That small moment where he moved through the sky was enough for me to be convinced. He was strong. Really, strong. And the current me can’t think of a good way to counter him. Did it hurt my pride? Nope. People who were stronger than me already existed in this world. This was just another lesson.
I know I still was a dragon, so my full potential couldn’t be shown in my dragonewt form, but I have a feeling I would have more trouble against him as a dragon. Something like a gut feeling was telling me this. Maybe he would have fought differently if I had fought him as a dragon, but that was a “what if” situation. It wasn’t worth considering when I wanted to spar with him to get better.
“Due to your small frame you can- GRACK! HACK! HACK! GAH!” As he was giving me more advice, Farron suddenly started coughing out blood.
“Guild Master!” As if it was instinct. White magic circles surrounded him; some of them were [Major Heal] and some were [Sanctified Blaze]. I did hit him with spells but I didn’t think I dealt that much damage. How could he be hurt?!
As some of his wounds healed, Farron raised his head. “Thanks, but you can stop. Working out too much is pretty hard with my lungs, so this is just normal,” he responded with heavy panting.
His lungs? Oh no, didn’t it say it was crystallized or something?
“You don’t need to give this old man those eyes, kiddo. You can’t heal this with the white grace, anyway. Healing magic improves your natural regeneration and helps your body regain its ‘normal’ form, but it can’t do anything when the form changes this dramatically. You should be aware of that fact,” he explained.
Something that can’t be healed with holy spells? I guess my damaged mana paths was something like that.
Breathing was one of the most basic of basics when it came to moving efficiently. Yes, breathing was needed to live but knowing how to breathe was important even for a dancer. As an idol, our job included singing and dancing when we performed so we had to manage our breathing well during the one to two-hour concerts. Each song required focus.
As I began learning how to fight and dodge, I also began learning how to breathe properly and manage my Stamina better. It was just natural. So I knew how important it was for a warrior to breathe properly. I saw his debilitation, but I didn’t say anything since he didn’t mention it. I thought I was worrying too much.
However, coughing up blood was a very bad sign, obviously. Without breathing correctly, he beat me. Extraordinary. Just absolutely incredible.
Farron then picked up his weapon as I was once again in awe of his abilities. “What are you looking at? Come on, kiddo. Get back to your spot, we ain’t done yet.”
“Huh?” My eyes wandered to the dark orange sky, signaling nighttime was almost here. “Ah, sorry, guild master. The sun is about to drop. I don’t think I should be fighting if I can’t use my sun core.”
“Really?” He looked at me with confusion. “Will you always have the luxury of fighting with the sun up? What about when you’re inside your home? Inside a cave. An ambush during the night? Not every variable will always favor you in a battle to the death. You wanted me to show you the power of an A ranker, so let us continue fighting. I will show you how to minimize your Stamina consumption.”
Wait, this should be a spar, not a training session! Wait…isn’t sparring training? No, wait, that’s not what I meant!
I was about to reject his offer again, but an epiphany just happened.
Wait, wasn’t this a chance to finally train again? And wait, isn’t this a chance for me to finally get some actual weapon or unarmed abilities? Didn’t I swear to get back to training and becoming stronger like I used to do? Isn’t it time to stop being lazy?
In my opinion, I deserved the break that I had. A simple hiatus to catch my breath after everything that happened, but an Idol cannot stop forever. Not only have I neglected to spread idol culture to Firwood, but my training has also stopped. Nobody except Carine village knew what an idol was, nor was I the strongest being in this world.
I am weak. I am still weak. A sunfang dragon cannot be weak. I was a B rank monster who will one day turn into an A rank monster, but before I could do that, I had to become stronger. I had to train my skills and gain more combat experience. Farron was right that I wouldn’t always fight in the morning. I can’t slack anymore!
“You know what, yeah! Let’s do it, Guild Master! Please, train me!” I asked with conviction, the fire inside my eyes was burning once again. Winter and my debut have smothered it, but I found kindling. To protect Saori and Tasianna, I swore back then to become the strongest, so I cannot go back on it.
Yes, I promise! Yeah, it’s a promise!
“Good choice, kiddo! Come on, I haven’t fought in a while so let me-”
“Father!”
A high-pitched voice called out, interrupting Farron’s words. We turned around to see a girl pushing herself through the wall of spectators. Once she got through, her snow-white hair fluttered through the air as she ran towards us. If this were Earth, I would say she looked like a Scandinavian.
“Father, I heard from Melia that you were fighting! You should know better to fight, you’re not healthy!” the girl chastised Farron. At a closer inspection, the girl was wearing a pretty cyan-white dress with a dirty white apron like a chef’s. Her dress looked similar to what I would see with the other commoner women, but hers didn’t have any patches. It looked well-made but didn’t have any embroidery.
Father?
“Priscilla, please, it was only a spar. Just some light exercise to help train a guild member,” Farron replied, looking timid as he looked at the white-haired girl.
“Light? Father, I can see a crater, multiple cracks on the ground, and, uh, lava?! There is lava over there!” the girl cried out, widening her red eyes.
“W-Wait, what is going on here? Guild master, who is she?” I asked.
Farron scratched his back in exasperation, looking reluctant, but quickly replied after he received a glare from the girl. “Hestia, this is Priscilla, my daughter. Priscilla, this is Hestia, an adventurer who registered last week.”
Daughter? Well, I guess he is old enough to have a kid.
At first, I couldn’t recognize her as Farron’s daughter due to her white hair and fine facial features. She looked like a pretty flower, compared to Farron’s red hair and rough appearance. However, those red eyes she had showed a resemblance to her father’s. Both looked pretty aggressive when they frowned.
Priscilla then turned to me, smiling as she greeted me. “Hello, my name is Priscilla. Thank you so very much for sparring with Father. I can see he’s very happy, but he’s unhealthy so he can’t continue. I’m sorry…Wait. Huh?” She paused as she moved her head closer to me, moving her nose as she sniffed the air.
Huh? Why are you…Sniff. Huh? Why does she smell sweet?
Without saying another word, both of us moved closer to each other as we began sniffing at each other. Like two dogs greeting each other, we couldn’t help but sniff at each other’s hair.
W-Why the hell am I doing this?! Stop it, me! Stop it, me! Ahhh, I’m gonna die from embarrassment!
However, despite all my cries to stop, my body didn’t. We continued sniffing each other until we both looked satisfied. I was 15 and the girl looked around 12…What the hell was wrong with us?
“…”
“…”
We couldn’t say anything. Priscilla’s face turned bright red once we finished and as my head felt hotter, I guess the same was applying to me too.
“…Nice to meet you. It’s a shampoo my friend made for me.”
“…Yes, nice to meet you, too. Uhm, my father bought an aromatic incense for me. It smells very sweet…”
That was the best both of us could think of to excuse our actions. However, despite this embarrassing moment, I couldn’t help but feel closer to her. This was just weird. It was abnormal and I have no idea what I just did.
As we kept looking at each other dumbfounded, somebody else’s voice brought us back to reality. “I heard everything from Melia, Lady Hestia. We need to talk about your temper.”
It was Saori and Tasianna.
“Guild Master, I apologize for Lady Hestia’s behavior. We must depart now.” Picking me up like a puppy, Saori and Tasianna began the long way back to Ellaine’s mansion.
In the meantime, I couldn’t help but cover my tomato-red face.