Magic Beast (IV)

Ophelia forced herself to calm down. She knew that if she could not both hold it back and widen the distance, no one would be able to help her.

Krystal once again displayed her astonishing adaptability when facing a Desperate Situation. After hearing Adam's instructions, the girl cast aside all negative emotions and focused intently on observing Ophelia.

Adam waited. Against a highly mobile opponent, the odds of landing a direct hit with a fireball were too low. Only by sealing off every possible route it could take would there be a chance to inflict effective damage.

Great speed usually meant a weak body, at least at this stage. Otherwise, if Magic Beasts truly possessed such extraordinary gifts, there would have been no room for humanity to rise.

Ophelia became the source of death on the battlefield. Wherever her figure went, batches of Magic Beasts and a few apprentices lost their lives.

The Magic Beasts feared no death, but all the apprentices panicked.

"Don't come over!"

"Save me!"

"Get away! I don't want to die!"

The organization's three leaders were helpless in the face of this situation. If they searched their own hearts, they knew that had they stood in Ophelia's place, they might not have been able to withstand even one move.

William shouted, "Everyone, gather around me! Shrink the defensive perimeter! Don't stand in the path of the Magic Beast's attacks!"

Quentin and Randy walked to William's side and said in low voices, "This can't go on. If another High-Level Magic Beast charges onto the deck"—they called Magic Beasts capable of using magic High-Level Magic Beasts—"we're finished. We have to kill it first."

Randy looked at Ophelia, whose situation was growing increasingly dire, his gaze flickering. "But we have no confidence that we can kill the Magic Beast without harming Ophelia..."

Quentin's tone was gloomy. "Then we can only wish her luck. I believe she'll understand..."

For once, William said nothing during the decision-making process. He had already decided that if Quentin and Randy made a move, he would stay out of it. That way, even if... it will have nothing to do with me.

Ophelia was about to die—not only physically, but mentally as well. She discovered that she could not restrain this Magic Beast at all. Rather, the Magic Beast was toying with her, driving her in a certain direction.

Toward the Fireball Spell Rune Array.

"Damn it!"

"Damn it!"

Quentin and Randy cursed viciously. They were stationed beneath the Fireball Spell Rune Array. If this continued for another dozen seconds, everyone would be in danger.

The two exchanged a glance and saw killing intent in each other's eyes. They turned back and, without prior agreement, activated their magic items, aiming directly at Ophelia's back.

At the same time, Adam ordered Krystal, "Prepare the spell. Fire in three seconds. Target Ophelia's heart from behind."

Hearing the target location, Krystal grew even more frightened, but she held herself back from turning around to question him. She forced herself to believe that Adam would not deliberately set Ophelia up. There had to be a reason he chose that spot.

Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. You can do it, Krystal. You definitely can. Krystal repeated it silently to herself.

"Now." Adam gave the order calmly, and Krystal's fireball flew toward Ophelia without the slightest deviation.

At the same time, the magic items in Randy and Quentin's hands activated as well. Three spells would strike Ophelia one second later.

Ophelia felt the scorching heat at her back. She knew the apprentices had finally been unable to hold back and had attacked. Her heart turned to ashes. My path as a mage hasn't even begun. Is it ending just like this? I haven't even learned Fireball...

Just then, she heard Adam's voice. "Jump. With all your strength."

Ophelia could swear that it was the most wonderful sound she had ever heard. Without Hesitation, she did as he said, ignoring the Claws before her that could have split her whole body open, and leapt high into the air.

As if she had stepped on flames.

The Magic Beast was exposed before the spells and let out a cry for the first time. The cry was wildly disproportionate to its tiny body—unexpectedly enormous, like the roar of a land beast.

Facing three massive fireballs, the Magic Beast had no choice but to abandon the toy it had not yet tired of and dodge to one side. It was merely somewhat angered; it felt neither fear nor rage, because it was certain this kind of magic could never hit it.

And indeed, none of them hit.

Against agile enemies, unless their movement space was completely sealed off or the attack was faster than their movement speed, all direct methods were useless.

"This is bad!" Randy and Quentin went pale. They had not yet learned Fireball, and the magic items in their hands were their greatest reliance. Although they had only used the two William lent them this time, from the look of things, having more would have been useless.

Krystal was terrified. The magic had missed, Ophelia had lost her fighting strength, and next—or the one after next—one of the dead would eventually be her.

Adam did not panic. The Fireball Spell Rune Array he had traced was poised and ready to fire. His remaining threads were calculating at full speed the Magic Beast's possible landing points, as well as the likely direction of its next move after landing.

"Now." Probability estimates could never be one hundred percent accurate, but as long as there was a certain possibility, it was worth trying. Besides, the success rate now was Sixty Percent.

Adam fiercely swung his hand toward the Magic Beast's side. A mage did not actually need bodily movements or incantations to cast spells, but this was Adam's first attempt at using a spell this way, and he needed some physical guidance to correct his direction.

Five fireballs—five orange fireballs radiating immense heat—flew simultaneously toward the landing point.

The Magic Beast was still in the air. It still felt no fear; it was even somewhat mocking, because none of these five fireballs could hit it. It looked at Adam and decided that once it landed, it would dispose of this ugly two-legged creature.

Not one fireball struck it directly. However, the Magic Beast landed in the center of the five fireballs. The heat wave stimulated it into immediately springing up, and in the instant it leapt, the five fireballs exploded. Layer upon layer of Shockwaves threw it off balance, followed by searing heat.

"Success." Adam said it to himself. His calculations had not been wrong. The Magic Beast had cooperated perfectly, moving according to his expectations and ultimately becoming a piece of roasted meat beneath five fireballs.

Pfft.

Ophelia happened to fall between Krystal and Adam. The Shockwave had blasted her here, and the joy of surviving a disaster brought a dazzling smile to her face.

"Thank you."

"If you died now, I would be in more trouble. My turn." After speaking, Adam walked to the front. Activating five fireballs at once was still far from his limit. His threads worked seamlessly; a small portion of his Mental Power had already recovered, and one Rune Array had been traced anew.

The apprentice organization fell silent. When Adam had used magic for the first time, they had been envious, but had not taken it too seriously. They thought they had merely been too lax over the past two months, and that with a little effort, they could close the gap. But now, they did not even have the courage to look Adam in the eye. They feared he would see the dejection in their eyes. Five at once—too terrifying.

"Black, are you sure you didn't see wrong? Could this Little Fellow really not have Fire Element Elemental Affinity?" Mage Jerome asked Black Mage with a strange expression after witnessing what had just happened from within the cabin.

Black Mage said, "I could not have seen wrong. His talent absolutely has no inclination toward the Fire Element. As for how he can instant-cast five fireballs..." Black Mage gave a bitter smile. "We all know true geniuses exist. We saw one before, and now we have seen another."

Mage Robert nodded. "This is not something Elemental Affinity can explain. As long as we have sufficient magic power within us, we can instant-cast dozens or even hundreds of Low-Level Magic spells. That is because our souls can support the instantaneous tracing of low-level runes. But have you ever seen anyone, even someone with exceptional Fire Element Elemental Affinity, achieve such a thing while still an apprentice?"

"This is a talent even more astonishing than Elemental Affinity. The High-Level Mages at the academy will definitely take notice of him," Mage Robert concluded.

Eileen Mage was still tasting wine, which had already stained her lips red. She smiled and said, "Black, your luck is quite good. Aren't you going to step in and protect him? If he dies at sea, your reward will be discounted."

Black Mage shook his head. "There is no need. With that child's intelligence and strength, an apprentice trial of this level cannot trouble him. Besides, there is one thing you are wrong about. Compared with him, I think more highly of her." Black Mage pointed at Krystal. "Her affinity is the same as mine, and her talent is quite good. No reward can compare to personally nurturing a Formal Mage."

On the deck, Adam casually killed the Magic Beasts that approached. At first, he had thought the small number of Magic Beasts attacking them was due to the difference in numbers, but after careful observation, he discovered that was not the case. Low-Level Magic Beasts knew only destruction and naturally swarmed toward places with more people, but High-Level Magic Beasts did not seem to be like that.

Their goal was not simple slaughter, but something else.

He came to this conclusion because, over the past few hours, every newly appeared High-Level Magic Beast had ignored Adam's group and charged toward the organization. Even that body-refining Magic Beast had done the same. This led to the organization suffering terrible casualties; in less than a day, nearly one-third had already died.

"If I have to find a reason, then it would be..." Adam fixed his eyes on the Fireball Spell Rune Array.

Adam wanted to verify it. Although Mental Power and magic power possessed the Great Power to interfere with reality, they themselves should not have physical mass. In other words, Rune Arrays should have been "nothingness."

Adam kicked up a sea fish with one foot and sent it flying toward the Rune Array like an arrow.

Pfft. The sea fish struck the second rune and became a flattened heap of flesh.

"So it really is them. They have gained mass. In other words, it is this material that forms mass which is continuously attracting the Magic Beasts."