Chapter 11 – Natural Combat Wizard. Becoming the focus of the battlefield.
On the left battlefield-
The soldiers from both sides made a clearing, giving a wide berth to the two fighters as if in tacit understanding. It was not a battle of regular men like them but that of the champions of their respective armies.
Ewan and the enemy War Chief wordlessly eyed each other, assessing their opponent.
Despite killing a hundred men and being covered in red, Ewan was still in top shape. The fresh War Chief went without say.
They eyed each other as fellow predators, creatures above the rabble on the battlefield. They recognized each other as top predators fighting for dominance.
They didn't exchange words. Their body language was all they needed. They locked gazes and clenched their weapons as they began circling each other like a pair of lions.
After a dozen steps, the War Chief gave a thunderous war cry, the air trembling from its power and charged.
Boom*
Da* Da* Da* Da* Da* Da*
"RAGGHH!!!"
The ground cracked against his steps, clearly above any regular human, faster than a galloping horse.
But to Ewan, with his high Spirit and Agility, It was only so-so. The sight of his charging was also not that intimidating to him. The only question he had was-
"Should I take it head-on or dodge?" Ewan wondered.
The opponent appeared strong, like a muscular goliath, but Ewan sensed that they were about even. In terms of skills, Ewan sensed he had the upper hand. But in terms of weaponry-
"My sword would break against that hammer," Ewan noted the strange engravings on the Warhammer.
So Ewan took the only remaining option.
"Dodge."
Woosh*
Ewan immediately made a combat roll, avoiding a deadly swing from the Warhammer before steadying himself again.
"GRR!!! RAGGH!!!" As if entering a rage state, the muscles on the barbarian inflated and charged over.
"He grew stronger somehow. A berserker? Not good. I need to end this quickly." Ewan thought, time passing slowly around him.
"What do I do? Fight head-on? Or look for an opening? But he has no- Or maybe I can create one?" Ewan thought of the level-1 apprentice spells he had learned.
Soften Soil - Softens the Soil.
Harden Soil - Hardens the Soil.
Remove Dirt - Removes Dirt.
Slippery Soil - Makes a small patch of Soil slippery.
Ewan practiced these four spells enough times to instantly cast them, each reaching lvl 10(max) due to their simplicity and constant use while farming.
"Then let's use them. Soften Soil." Ewan silently cast, calculating the opponent's next step.
The War Chief didn't notice that the ground in front suddenly softened to the extreme as he stepped on it.
Splash*
His stampeding foot suddenly sank into the Soil up to the calf.
"Harden Soil."
The Soil suddenly hardened back, becoming as hard as concrete. The War Chief could break concrete with his bare hands, but now that he was charging-
Crack*
"UGH!" The man widened his eyes in pain as his leg fractured and fell forward from his velocity.
Instinctively, he tried to block his fall with his hands, but-
"Slippery Soil. Remove Dirt." Ewan immediately cast two spells as he charged over.
The land that the War Chief tried to use to block his fall became ultra slippery, causing the War Chief to faceplant on the ground.
Slippery Soil made the Soil slippery, and when the spell, Remove Dirt, got cast on such Soil, it became even more slippery!
"Ghk! (You bastard!)" The War Chief cried in fury with his face full of mud, knowing the opponent used some dirty trick on him.
But before he could say anything else, while raising his head, he saw a sword plunging in his direction. He could barely raise his arm, using his bracers to block as a shield.
Slash* Splat* Thud*
"ARGH!!! (I WILL KILL YOU!)" The War Chief yelled, his arm cut off by a sword coated with brown energy.
But before he could say anything else-
Crack* Splat*
"102." Ewan coldly said, pulling out the sword that split the War Chief's skull.
He looked at the horror-stricken Barbarians before locking on his next prey in the flanks and charged over like a wolf into a flock of sheep.
At the same time, he received some messages that he ignored.
[You have fought and slain the powerful using martial prowess and wits.]
[Willpower Special Stat Unlocked.]
[Willpower +1]
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In the backlines-
"..."
Fladrinne and the other Grand Knights looked astounded as Ewan almost effortlessly dispatched a War Chief comparable to the Grand Knights.
"How... Did he do that?" One of the Grand Knights broke the silence.
"Hey, Landers. Can you kill that War Chief that fast?" Another Grand Knight asked.
"No. It would be a 50-50 match." Landers, a third Grand Knight, shook his head. He knew his limit.
"Holy shit! He is still going at it!" A fourth Grand Knight exclaimed as he saw Ewan butchering more hapless Barbarians.
"He... Hehehe! Hahahaha!" Fladrinne suddenly laughed, startling the Grand Knights.
Wizards rarely showed emotion. And yet, a Wizard, the epitome of composure, laughed. That was almost too rare.
"Mistress?" One of the two female Grand Knights questioned.
"Ah... haha. I never imagined a Combat Wizard to show himself on this battlefield. Such a rare breed." Fladrinne said, fondness in her eyes as she looked at Ewan slaughtering away.
Combat Wizards. They are melee Wizards who excel in simple spells and magic-casting, using them to deadly effect in the right situation.
Most Wizard battles revolve around slugging spells at one another, exhausting each other's magical reserves in a devastating exchange. However, Combat Wizards were a different breed. Instead of using their raw power, they use few but masterful low-level spells to tilt the battle in their favor, often dispatching more powerful opponents in moments like now.
And she saw the spells Ewan used. Soften Soil. Harden Soil. Remove Dirt. And Slippery Soil. Every one of them mastered to perfection, so fluid and natural it almost seemed like breathing.
"Crazy bastard. Do you like farming that much?" Fladrinne muttered, her cold eyes softening.
In the world of Wizards, it was rare to meet someone who wasn't insidious, cunning, or with an ulterior motive. That was why Wizards were distrustful of one another. But Ewan was different. He proved to her his honesty through his actions and magical mastery.
Although she looked down on farmers, she couldn't hate them. Who would hate farmers? They are honest and hardworking people! Who would bring the food to the market without them?
But what kind of Wizard, an educated and usually pampered individual from wealthy birth, works the land as a farmer?! It was considered humiliating. She thought he was dissing her when he said he was a farmer, hence her earlier outburst.
"Mistress, the Barbarians have sent two more War Chiefs against Ewan." One of her female Grand Knights suddenly spoke.
"Oh?" Fladrinne's eyes flickered as she looked at the Barbarian side. Sure enough, two War Chiefs rushed toward Ewan's direction.
"Seems like this guy is becoming the focus of the battlefield. Interesting. Valli, assist him." She ordered the female Grand Knight.
"Yes, Mistress!" Valli saluted and rushed to the battlefield.
"Now... Let's see if you can give me more surprises, little man."
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Moments prior-
On the Barbarian's backlines-
A female Shaman in exotic and revealing clothes, accompanied by her War Chiefs, mirrored the reaction of Fladrinne and the Grand Knights.
"He killed Kaldall!" A War Chief exclaimed in disbelief.
"How did he do that?!" Another uttered in horror.
"It was so quick and effortless!" A third shuddered.
"Combat Wizard. I never imagined the enemy to deploy such a prestigious individual." The female Shaman said with a deep look at the man who started butchering their right flank.
"Shaman! Give the order!" One of the War Chiefs stepped forward.
"Blubbat, Hroppeill, stall him and draw one of the Grand Knights. And avoid using charging attacks and sudden movements. And be careful of where you step, or he will kill you instantly." The female Shaman ordered, figuring out Ewan's spell repertoire was limited to weak earth spells.
"Yes, Shaman!" The two War Chiefs thumped their chests and rushed to the battlefield.
With her gaze locked on Ewan, who slayed a dozen men while they spoke, she muttered, "This man would be the focus point of the battle."