I am Just an Average Tamer

After leaving the mission hall, Kai moved with quiet steps through the academy's sprawling walkways.

A few students milled around, chatting or preparing for their own tasks, but Kai paid them no mind.

As he approached the academy gates, he passed by the line of student carriages, sleek, parked under a long iron-roofed archway.

They shimmered with enchantments and bore the academy's crest on their sides, waiting to be rented.

He didn't even spare them a glance.

Instead, Kai walked straight to the outer checkpoint.

Once past the gate, he stepped onto the open dirt road that branched into the outer forest paths beyond the academy grounds.

Then, in a low voice, he spoke.

"Vex."

A pale-white magic circle shimmered into existence beside him with a soft whoomp, pulsing gently.

With a melodic purr, the Phantom Lynx emerged from the light.

Sleek and predatory. Her obsidian dark fur shone brightly under the sun, and her pale violet eyes gleamed as she trotted forward and nudged his side gently, tail flicking.

She had already adjusted herself to her usual form: around the size of a large panther, perfect for riding.

Kai didn't say a word, he simply stepped beside her, placed a hand on her back, and mounted smoothly.

He gave her a few firm taps between the ears, and her ears twitched slightly in acknowledgment.

Then—

Whoosh!

In an instant, they blurred forward.

The forest path whipped past as Vex leapt between bends and weaved effortlessly through narrow clearings. Her paws barely touched the ground, yet each stride covered meters in a blink.

Wind bit against Kai's coat, flaring it behind him, but he remained still, focused ahead, eyes narrowed.

Minutes passed.

Soon, the trees thinned, and a wide, broken stretch of land came into view.

A fractured ruin, collapsed outpost was now overtaken by creeping vines, moss, and broken stone.

The mission details had described it perfectly.

Vex slowed down and eventually stopped near the edge of the ruins.

Kai dismounted silently and gave her another brief pat. "Stay close. But don't interfere unless needed."

Vex blinked once in silent agreement, then slinked into the shadows near the trees blending in almost unnaturally.

Kai turned his gaze to the ruins, his fingers curling slightly at his side.

His footsteps echoed faintly as he stepped into the ruins.

The inside was brely lit, almost dark, but Kai didn't have much problem seeing, his years of enhanced senses were in work.

Cracked stone tiles shifted under his boots as he moved forward.

Tall grass had grown between the gaps, swaying gently in the morning breeze.

Chipped pillars stood like silent sentinels, worn down by time and weather. The air held a stillness, too quiet, almost like the land itself was holding its breath.

He didn't rush.

He needed focus.

He needed pressure.

And right on cue—

A low snarl echoed through the rubble.

'Huh.'

Kai stopped and narrowed his eyes.

From behind a collapsed arch, a figure slinked forward, first one, then two more.

Thin, skeletal beasts covered in black bark-like plating. Their limbs were jointed too many times, their movement twitchy and unnatural.

A faint mist oozed from their jaws, and their glowing yellow eyes locked onto Kai.

"Wraithhounds."

A grin tugged at his lips.

Just as the mission described, remnants from corrupted mana experiments in the outer zones.

These were in physical form, but soaked in dark ether, giving them both resilience and a touch of illusion magic.

Not strong enough to be a real threat, but fast and aggressive.

Kai reached behind and drew his daggers.

Grr! Grr!

The hounds screeched and charged, limbs tearing across stone and debris like spiders scrambling over bones.

Kai exhaled.

Closed his eyes and opened again.

[<Falcon's sight!>]

The world slowed for him as his eyes tracked their staggered formation.

One at the front, two flanking at angles. Fast, but not thinking.

His fingers tightened on the hilt.

Mana surged like Essence—

Not externally, not like a spell.

Internally.

He channeled it along his arm in a refined stream, controlling the flow, suppressing the natural pressure buildup.

The veins in his wrist pulsed faintly, his arm tingling with a strange tightness as the energy built toward the edge of the blade, and then.

[<Null Lash!>]

A clean, straight line.

It looked simple.

Just a swipe of the blade from right to left.

But in that moment—

The reality warped.

The air split.

Crack!

The shimmering lines of enchantments around the lead Wraithhound cracked and shattered as the slash passed through.

Its dark armor peeled away as if erased, not cut or broken.

Just erased.

Thud!

Its body jolted mid-pounce, then crashed into the ground like a broken puppet.

The two behind it faltered. Their enchantments flickered, like a candle being threatened by wind.

Kai didn't pause.

But he did feel the aftermath.

His arm went cold.

With numbness.

"Argh."

He grimaced and shook it off, backing up a few steps.

Grrr! Grrr!

The remaining hounds regrouped, snarling more cautiously now.

The faint ripple from the slash still lingered in the air like a mirage, distorting space gently.

A silence field.

Exactly as the technique promised. For just those few seconds, any ambient mana within that ripple was being swallowed.

No one could use defensive shields, no counterspells. Nothing till its effect remains.

Kai rotated his shoulder slowly, grimacing.

"Ugh! Execution was a little off," he muttered, flexing the numb fingers, "but still functional."

Then.

Grr!

Another snarl.

One of the two Wraithhounds burst forward again, this time its claws glowing with residual black energy.

Kai smirked.

"Now, let's do it properly."

He kicked off the ground and met the beast mid-charge, blade flashing once more.

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[A/N]

Yo guys welcome back, and yeah now, there is no error in any chapters, no hiccups, everything will go smoothly and perfectly in the future too. Thank you for reading this far, and bye, bye, take care. see you guys later.