Is it their mana reserves?
No.
In the first place, mages don’t ‘use’ mana in the way most tend to believe. They do not draw from an internal reservoir– they harness the mana around them and use it as they see fit.
But therein lies the problem.
Bending nature to one’s will is no simple feat. It is so strenuous that without the mage class, most cannot even begin to grasp it. Even those loved by the arcane must devote their life to study and practice.
And as the spell grows in complexity, so too does the strain on their mind. Stronger spells require more effort, and greater effort demands more….
is their weakness – Casting time.
And that is why a mage who is allowed to express their full power is more terrifying than a hundred of the sharpest blades.
The Empyrean Ray descended upon the battlefield, leaving utter devastation in its wake. Light in its purest form lay waste to all that it touched, scorching the ground, purifying the earth, and most importantly, eradicating Hoshino’s enemies.
Hoshino smirked in satisfaction as she wiped away the thin trickle of blood from her nose. Fifteen seconds was an eternity in a real battle, but Marco had made it possible, and Hoshino had not disappointed.
The goblins lay dead, their lifeless bodies skinless, and their faces contorted in horror. The same could be said for the kobolds. Most of the gnolls suffered the same, and the half of the Orcs and Ogres that survived struggled to rise to their feet.
Verity opened his eyes slowly, blinking past the afterimages of the blast. For a long moment, he could only stare.
He stared at his hands, then took a good look at his body, and his expression transformed from awe to that of confusion. Similar expressions rose in the others. By all means, they should have suffered a fate similar to that of the monsters, but they were completely unscathed.
Hoshino endured the pain of her throbbing head and smirked. “Ha!” She lifted her wand in the air. “Do not be shocked, my noble Knights! The light of justice punished only evil!”
She staggered, and Marco caught her before she fell. His heart still raced from the moment the spell descended.
“Now, my Knights, end it all!” Hoshino barely managed to say. “The Star of justice must take… a short rest…,” She finished, leaning on her large wans for support.
Dawn whistled. “What are they feeding Bronze-ranks these days…” He muttered before disappearing into the shadows. A moment later, an orc collapsed, a dagger driven through its heart.
Felicia smirked, her blood singing. She couldn’t help but think of what she’d have done had that attack been aimed at her. Even now, her battle spirit flared, her mind only caring for further strength.
She’d been inspired.
SWOOSH
She swung her sword once, taking an ogre’s head with it, and she tightened her grip around its hilt.
On the other side, Verity scoffed.
That was something he had figured out long ago. Shaking his head, he shifted his grip on his spear and decapitated an orc before it could take hold of its cleaver.
[You have slain an enemy.]
It was no longer a battle by that point. Dawn, Felicia, and Verity set out to massacre the few dozen monsters remaining.
Most creatures had died, and those who hadn’t were severely weakened. Against the three incarnations of carnage, the remaining enemy force stood no chance.
Jerin stood, his eyes wide, and his mace hanging limp at his side.
He watched as the remaining enemies fell, one by one.
It was all over in a matter of minutes.
[You have slain an enemy.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have overcome the challenge. You have gained experience toward your class.]
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Verity heard the messages.
[Your sponsor chuckles, ‘Why don’t you go hunt a dragon then?’]
Verity sighed.
[Your sponsor shrugs, ‘I believe we both know the answer to that.’]
Verity planted his spear into the ground, hands on his hips. He began, an accusatory tone in his voice.
[Your sponsor raises an eyebrow, ‘I suppose saving your life was insufficient?’]
Verity sighed.
[Your sponsor turns her head away, ‘The depth of this statement is lost on you, regrettably.’]
This time he raised his eyebrow.
But Vera, once again, did not reply, which only fueled Verity’s irritation.
With a click of his tongue, he picked his spear and walked back to his part where Hoshino greeted him with enthusiasm.
“So! I see you have completed your task, my Knight!” She exclaimed as she watched him approach, drenched in foul smelling blood.
She had pinched her nose at first, but now she was quite used to the smell. She stared at Verity, her eyes full of pride and anticipation. She was clearly expecting .
Verity scoffed, and he rolled his eyes. “Yes yes, that was an amazing spell, Miss mage,” he finally said.
Hoshino puffed out her chest “Haha! Indeed it was! Stick with me and you shall witness even more of my sparkle!”
Verity rolled his eyes.
Felicia, smiling, threw an arm around Hoshino. “That’s not such a bad idea, you know. We should keep in touch when we’re…out of here.” Her statement was vague and could have been interpreted in many ways, but its intent was not lost on those it was meant for.
Even though there were no priests nearby, Marco paled, quickly glancing toward Dawn and Jerin.
His voice barely above a whisper, he spoke to Verity, Felicia, and Hoshino, ensuring the others would not hear. “Y-yeah, but we’d need a way to communicate… Do you guys have Headbook?”
Felicia chuckled. “Headbook? What are you, a hundred? I’ll add you all on InstantPic when I’m out.”
“What’s wrong with Headbook…” Marco muttered.
Felicia grinned. “What’s your username, old man.”
Back on earth, getting Felicia’s InstaPic would have been the highlight of Marco’s week, perhaps even his entire month, but at this very moment, he hesitated before finally giving her his username.
“...MarcoXwrestling20xx,” he mumbled.
Felicia raised an eyebrow and made a mental note. She’d always had a good memory. “...I won’t even ask.”
“...Yeah.”
She then turned to Verity. “And you?”
Verity looked away, clear embarrassment in his eyes. He spoke, almost inaudibly. “...I only have Chaos.”
Hoshino lit up. “Knight of Truth!! It seems we are kindred spirits! I shall add you to—”
Marco covered her mouth before she could get the words out. “Shh!!”
Before she could remove his hand, Dawn, not too far, twirled a dagger around his finger. “Hate to interrupt but… what now, friends?” He asked.
All eyes turned to Jerin, the one who’d assumed the position of leader for this expedition.
The Knight, uncaring for the looks, sat on a rock, his expression distant. The question clawed at him..
As he carefully considered the situation, Jerin became increasingly convinced that there was something…… about this mission.
Something was happening that he couldn’t quite explain, and he hated not being in control.
Decisively, he stood up, but before he could say anything, Dawn chimed in.
“I noticed a tunnel leading deeper into the cave behind the horde…” The dagger spun from one hand to the other, a true show of dexterity. “I’m not entirely sure… but my instincts as a Thief tell that whatever lies beyond it, we shouldn’t simply let it be.”
Jerin frowned. “Are you certain?”
Dawn nodded, and stood up. “I can show it to you all if you’d like.”
There was no harm in hearing him out. After the overwhelming victory, Jerin doubted there was anything here that could threaten their lives.
With no protest, almost easily, the group followed after Dawn, and they crawled into a narrow tunnel which led to another chamber, this one much smaller.
However, something was different about this chamber. In its walls were three openings, all three of them likely leading to different sections of the cave. It seemed this cave system was larger than any of them had initially expected.
“Huh, I guess this is more of a labyrinth.” Verity whispered.
Dawn stood with his hands held behind his back. “Should we turn back, or explore? Decisions decisions…,” He said playfully.
Jerin’s brows furrowed deeper. On paper, there was nothing to gain from exploring any further. They’d accomplished the quest, slaughtering hundreds of goblins, hence, they could very well go home and leave the cave exploration to another team.
However, something within the Knight spoke to him, a voice he’d never heard before.
He winced. The words were spoken clearly, but they faded from his memory as fast as they came. He felt as though he’d heard a voice, or rather, he’d heard something or— had anything happened at all?
He quickly shook his head and dismissed it all as an artifact of his fatigue. Still, Jerin suddenly felt a strong urge to enter one of the tunnels, and explore the cave further, as if compelled to.
Felicia, for her part, frowned as she looked around.
Erilsa, who now hid herself when following Felicia, spoke to her telepathically.
Hoshino placed her fingers on her temple. Her very soul recoiled from something, but she couldn’t figure out what. “The mana here…It’s twisted…” She muttered to herself.
Verity, and Marco, however, felt nothing. They were neither sensitive to mana, nor spirits, and their minds were quite difficult to affect, for different reasons.
Jerin finally spoke. “Spearman, Thief, go left.” He pointed to the center tunnel. “I’ll enter this one with the swordswoman.” and then to the right most one. “Martial Artist and the Mage to this one.”
He suppressed a sharp pain in his head. “We’ll continue the exploration.” His years of experience and leadership furiously fought the strange influence that was weighing on him, and he managed to say, “...But if you encounter anything– anything at all, retreat, or flee. Do not fight.” He told them all firmly.
Verity glanced at the young Thief with hair as dark as his. “I guess we’ll be working together.”
Dawn nodded, a soft smile on his lips, but as he turned away to enter the tunnel… Verity noticed that the smile quickly disappeared, perhaps too quickly.
Thanks for reading!
I've included a completely AI generated image of what I think Hoshino would look like in this author note. Let me know if you want to see this for other characters as well or if we all HATE this.
es.