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nAs one of Rodel’s earliest adventurers, Povet had a clear understanding of his place.

nThough a magus, he was merely at the preparatory level, the lowest tier.

nMaking a living within the adventurer’s guild wasn’t a problem for him, but deliberately provoking spellbeasts was asking for discomfort.

nEven on such a battlefield, spellbeasts shouldn’t be his target; there would naturally be stronger individuals tasked with handling them.

nHis real targets were the spellbeast subspecies, creatures in a similar position to him among beasts—beginning to break away from the ordinary ranks but not entirely transcended.

n“Birds of a feather flock together,” even on the battlefield, this adage held its sway.

nA bear-like spellbeast subspecies, significantly larger than the average grey bear, roared as it climbed the city walls.

nPovet’s gaze instantly locked onto this massive creature, his broadsword angled ready, his footsteps quickening.

n“Move aside! I’ve got this!”

nHe shouted to a few novice adventurers, dazed by battle frenzy, subtly altering his charge.

nInstead of a head-on attack, he launched an assault from the side.

nThe bear-like creature’s movements were actually not sluggish; the illusion of slowness stemmed from its massive size.

nHad Povet foolishly charged straight on, he was certain the spellbeast subspecies would have fiercely swatted him at the moment of his approach—a scenario Povet wished to avoid at all costs.

nVeering off course, Povet’s swift silhouette traced an arc, initiating a surprise attack from the flank.

nMana surged forth, propelling Povet to greater speeds, a thin layer of mana brilliance adhering to his blade.

nThrust!

nA move once utilized by Howard.

nThough not as practiced in appearance, Povet’s execution remained sufficiently precise. .

nHis final acceleration disrupted the great grey bear’s responses; its attempts to block Povet were futile.

nHe had observed Howard’s thrust, aware that in such a speed-chasing maneuver, control is even more crucial than velocity itself.

nOnly proper control can prevent one from impaling themselves on an adversary’s blade.

nWith a change in footwork, Povet rolled on the ground, dodging the bear’s massive paw, the tip of his broadsword nearing the bare crescent on the bear’s chest.

nHand thrusting forward, blade accelerating, footwork shifting, his form ultimately catching up.

nAs they passed by each other, his wrist exerted force, retracting the blade, and blood droplets splattered.

nHis body twisted to evade the bear’s counterattack.

nPovet finally stopped behind the bear, a faint mist exhaling from his lips.

nThe series of actions had pushed him to his limit; had there been any mishap along the way, he might have ended up beneath the bear, transformed into a shattered corpse.

nYet, in the end, he succeeded, granting Povet a fleeting illusion of invincibility. 𝘪𝑎.

nFortunately, he quickly returned to reality, aided significantly by the bear during this process.

nBoom—

nThe bear’s deafening roar brought Povet back to the harshness of reality.

nHis movements might have been agile, but that agility came at the cost of strength.

nTo think he could kill the bear in a single move was far from reality.

nPovet had witnessed Howard’s combat, though he didn’t know who it was, seeing only a silhouette.

nBut the decisiveness and efficiency in lunging at the wolfrat had etched itself deep into his memory.

nIn that moment, he understood what it meant to be an adventurer: never to retreat in the face of danger, for an adventurer who halts their journey also severs the opportunity for further advancement.

nIt’s only through repeated ventures that an adventurer can grow swiftly.

nHe realized this perhaps a bit late; he was nearing forty, well past the age of youthful vigor.

nHowever, he didn’t believe his failures should be repeated in his child.

nEverything he did now directly impacted his child’s future.

nFacing the bear, standing over three meters tall, Povet didn’t waver but instead gripped his broadsword tighter, mana surging once again.

nThis was his adventure.

nPovet readied himself, waiting for the bear to turn and continue their unfinished battle.

nHowever, what he awaited—the bear’s turn—never came.

nInstead, what arrived was a tremor of mana, an anomaly never experienced before!

nHis gaze, along with almost every other being capable of sensing mana, shifted along the wall.

nAt that instant, they all stopped, captured by the same fear—an awe for the apex predator.

nThe existence capable of causing a tremor in mana might possess power rivaling deities.

nIn the eyes of nearly all magi below level 2, directly influencing mana on a broad scale was already a divine prerogative.

nPovet looked toward the direction from which the mana surge came, seeing only a towering bell tower and nothing else.

nThe tremor arrived swiftly and vanished just as quickly, as abrupt in its departure as in its arrival.

nYet, the battlefield fell eerily silent.

nUnder the deterrence of an unmatched external force, everyone was left with a fear for their lives, pushing aside all other emotions.

nHowever, when that force and the accompanying fear dissipated, those sidelined emotions were not so easily reclaimed.

nStaring at each other, confusion was the first to resurface.

nThe frenzy in the beasts’ eyes vanished after the astonishing mana surge, leaving only wariness and unease when they looked at humans.

nThe spellbeasts were not fools; they were aware of the strength disparity between themselves and humans.

nOf course, they could overrun Rodel now, but humans weren’t confined to this place alone.

nKilling the humans here would only invite retaliation from others elsewhere.

nThus, with low growls, they slowly retreated.

nHowever, this was true for the majority, not all, as injured beasts lacked the rationale.

nTherefore, they became the sacrificial rear guard for the retreating spellbeasts.

nEven among the beasts, competition was ever-present, internal strife not being a human exclusive.

n…

nThe grey bear also fled, giving Povet one last glance before leaping off the city wall.

nWas that glance one of hatred? Povet couldn’t precisely define it, but he knew he had likely gained a formidable nemesis.

n“Maybe it’s better to avoid traveling far too often from now on. Who knows, I might get ambushed someday,” Povet mused, scratching his head while his gaze wandered over the city wall, no longer spotting any living beasts or spellbeasts in his field of vision.

nThe swarms of creatures beneath the city walls began to retreat!

nWas this the end?

nThe grand beginning concluded in a manner that felt like punching into cotton—a dissonance that left everyone feeling something was amiss.

nLogically, it was clear, yet no one could pinpoint the source of that peculiar sensation.

nBut one thing was unmistakably clear.

nThey had won; they had defended the walls and survived! That was the greatest victory of all.

n“We… survived!”

nSome stood in place, tears streaming down their faces unconsciously.

nFor some, this monster tide siege might not have been the worst scenario, but for those who had never experienced the chaos of war, this level of conflict was enough to stir their deepest fears.

nPovet looked around, also releasing a sigh of relief.

nRegardless of the cause behind that mana surge, there was no doubt it had saved Rodel.

n…

nAs the blinding light faded, Howard was finally freed from the endless dizziness.

nThe moment he felt the solid ground beneath his feet, tears nearly spilled from his eyes.

nThough the teleportation lasted only a brief second or two, to him, it felt infinitely elongated by hyperawareness, with the sheer disorientation causing unimaginable distress.

nDizziness itself wasn’t the major issue; it was the duration it persisted.

nAnyone spinning for an entire day could hardly stand steady without feeling off.

nThe moment he landed, Howard braced himself against the bedside, took a deep breath, and his gaze gradually focused.

nSitting on the bed for a few seconds, the floor once again flashed with white light, the pattern of the teleportation matrix flickered and vanished, and Nula’s figure appeared in Howard’s view.

n“How was it?”

nSeeing Howard practically collapsing onto the bed, Nula raised her eyebrows.

n“Not good at all!” Howard mustered all his strength to sit up.

n“I swear! I’ll never use a teleportation spell again in my life! Even if it kills me, I won’t do it!”

n“That kind of torment is inhuman.”

n“Is it that severe? That dizziness should last only a second or two.” Nula removed her cloak, beginning to clean the disguise from her face, “You can’t even endure that for a couple of seconds?”

nCuriously observing Nula’s actions, Howard stroked his chin.

n“How did you do that to your face? It looks completely different.”

n“It’s the power of spells.” Nula glanced at Howard, her look carrying a hint of scorn.

n“Someone who took so long to master even the most basic spells probably won’t get the chance to experience it.”

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