NOVEL NEXT Chapter 36 - End of volume 2
– end of volume 2z
My vacation was finally coming to an end, and today was the day we decided to test Rud’s abilities by having a match in a certain forest using teleportation.
Being near me naturally made him an easier target for enemies, and apparently, his family had a lot of enemies to begin with, so Rud wanted to gain the ability to protect his fiancée, Sasha.
However, when faced with me, Rud immediately seemed hesitant.
“Are you really going to do this? I don’t feel like I can beat you at all,” he said.
“Quit whining. You’re the one who said you wanted to do this,” I replied. “If you keep complaining, I’ll attack you first.”
I deployed my magic, and Rud vigorously shook his head in agreement.
“Alright, alright! Let’s do it! But I can only use low-level attack magic!”
“Fine with me.”
We both got into position.
Rud wielded two short daggers, and I held the “Staff of Calamity.”
Rud, who had been nervous just moments ago, now exuded a sharp, knife-like aura. I tightened my focus, squinting my eyes.
There was no official signal to start, but our movements began at the exact same moment.
“―――【Stealth】【Transparency】【Assimilation】―――”
“―――【Multi-cast: Aqua Ball】―――”
Rud’s presence suddenly became undetectable, and around me, dozens of water spheres floated up, forming a protective barrier.
I was a bit surprised by the sophistication of Rud’s invisibility technique.
This is… impressive. I can’t even locate him…
I had seen assassins in the real world several times, but none of them had been completely undetectable like this.
As proof of this, I had activated several tracking water spheres that I had developed for assassins and invisible enemies, but they were circling around me as if they were unsure where to go.
Furthermore, being in the forest, I could hear the rustling of leaves, the chirping of birds, and the calls of animals, but I couldn’t hear any nearby movements.
I even fired off a few shots randomly, but they didn’t come close. Instead, small knives seemed to come flying from nowhere.
I activated and dodged them using my barriers, but it was clear that the situation was not in my favor.
…I might have put Rud in a considerably advantageous position here…
As I was regretting my decision, I suddenly sensed a faint presence.
It was almost an instinctual reaction, and I immediately cast a Barrier.
―――Bariiing!!
It seemed I had made the right choice as the barrier was shattered in an instant.
Almost simultaneously, the water spheres were released towards Rud.
“―――【Magic Nullification】―――”
“!?”
Rud’s whispered words sent a shiver down my spine.
Due to that, I lost sight of Rud, but that wasn’t the main concern.
―――【Magic Nullification】.
As the name suggests, it’s a skill that completely nullifies magic, more akin to an innate ability than a skill.
It can nullify any magic, even transcendental, as long as it’s used perfectly.
The fact that Rud possessed such a cheat-like ability…
It seemed he was using it almost flawlessly.
How did I know? Well, people with this innate ability can’t use magic themselves at all. By the way, there’s another heroine who has it… but she won’t appear for a while.
You could truly call this talent.
I became curious about how effective my magic was against him and fired off a few spells.
“―――【Ice Strike】【Multi-cast: Aqua Ball・Earth Burst】―――”
In that instant, the temperature around me dropped, frost formed on the ground, and plants froze. Normally, I avoided using this spell since it also slowed down my own movement, but there was a reason I used it this time.
As I carefully observed my surroundings, a white mist-like substance began to emanate from one area, like the visible breath of a person.
“There you are.”
In response to my words, earth bullets and water spheres sped toward the location where the white mist had appeared.
“Kuh… 【Magic Nullification】!”
Rud’s figure became visible, and he wore an expression of frustration. Yes, Magic Nullification could be a double-edged sword because it nullified even one’s own magic.
Currently, Rud was dealing with my magic, unable to move or conceal himself using magic. We’d have to fix this aspect later.
“―――【Body Enhancement】【Martial Arts Mimicry: Trace】―――Swift!”
“―――!?”
In an instant, I moved right in front of Rud, clenched my fist, and aimed for his solar plexus with perfect timing.
Rud, caught off guard, had wide-open eyes, but at the last moment, he managed to dodge my punch. Instead, he thrust his short dagger towards my heart.
Well, that was expected.
Clang!!
“Wha―――!?”
The short dagger, which was about to hit my heart, was deflected by the Simplified Barrier I had previously activated.
“Ha!”
I let out a small exhale of relief.
In the moment of my hesitation, I delivered a kick, but Rud quickly regained his composure, calmly deflecting my kick with his hand.
His movements and mental strength were clearly in a realm that was impossible for an ordinary person. I couldn’t help but be impressed by his lineage as an assassin’s family. He might be even stronger than the protagonist.
“Why… are you so strong in close combat!?”
“This is also magic.”
“Anything goes, huh!”
Rud quickly bent his body and tried to kick me. However, my magic wasn’t weak enough for this to slow me down.
I lightly jumped over his leg and attempted a counter-heel drop. But Rud avoided it by rolling away.
“You’re surprisingly nimble.”
“Well, my family is known for being assassins, after all! Though I’ve never actually assassinated anyone!”
While rolling, Rud precisely threw a knife at me. But I didn’t pay it any mind and charged in, taking things up a notch.
“It’s time to finish this.”
“No, wait—”
I forcefully drove my fist into Rud’s abdomen while he was floating in mid-air.
This time, Rud couldn’t avoid it, and he took a direct hit, getting sent flying.
Rud mowed down several trees before finally coming to a stop.
“Huff!? Damn! Are you okay, Rud!?”
I rushed to his side and cast a healing spell.
His bleeding stopped immediately, and his wounds seemed to reverse and heal as if in rapid regeneration. Once fully healed, Rud glared at me.
“…You… you’re a magician, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, but I’m a magician that stands out from the rest.”
I grinned and replied.
“Really… I don’t want you as an enemy.”
Rud said with a sigh of relief.
–
Did I call them wizard or magician earlier? I will start making notes again in V3.
Anyway, this chapter marks the end of volume 2. Thanks for reading~