The Tide of Battle Turned

A single burst of Spellfire might not be lethal, but the pain of burning continuously was enough to break the bandits' fighting spirit.

Worse, these attacks appeared out of nowhere, with no trajectory to follow. There was no way to dodge them.

The bandits were so badly burned and disoriented that they could only focus on dodging the blue-white flames that might flare up at any moment. They had no chance to go after Ye Wei'an.

The guards kept finishing off the bandits, and experience notifications appeared one after another.

Even though they were all Lv. 1 bandits, the amount of experience they gave Ye Wei'an varied considerably.

Apparently, the experience gained from a kill depended not only on the enemy's level but also on how much the player contributed to the kill.

While using Spellfire to pick off the bandits, Ye Wei'an didn't forget to glance at the minimap.

It was a good habit he'd picked up from playing games in his previous life.

Sure enough, even amid all the chaos, someone had made the right choice—in more ways than one.

Of the two underbosses, the one called Scarface was the most ferocious. He took a Spellfire Flame from Ye Wei'an head-on, then charged toward the carriage despite his burns. With a weapon clenched in his teeth, he scrambled up the side with both hands and feet.

His actions startled Ye Wei'an, but Scarface was the only one that fierce. If all the bandits were like him, Ye Wei'an would have to consider making a run for it.

The other one who made the "right" choice was the other underboss, Goat.

He'd said they should split up and circle around. Who would've thought he'd head straight into the woods and flee the scene?

In other words, the only one who could threaten Ye Wei'an now was Scarface.

That was manageable.

Scarface was already halfway onto the carriage roof. Ye Wei'an grabbed a blade and prepared his spell at the same time.

True Strike again.

With magic empowering his vision, Ye Wei'an could see all the openings in Scarface's assault.

From above, he brought the blade down with all his strength toward the bandit's unprotected head!

Scarface was a seasoned bandit who'd survived countless fights, and he had plenty of experience facing enemies. Sensing danger, he jerked his head aside and raised an arm with all his strength, trying to take the blow on his shoulder.

He'd noticed that the pretty boy's blade wasn't some expensive Noble weapon. It was one he'd looted from a comrade.

As an underboss, Scarface knew better than anyone what kind of junk his men used.

With a blade that shoddy, it would definitely get stuck in his shoulder blade.

If he could just withstand this blow, he'd climb onto the roof. Then he could—

Thwack!

His plan came to an abrupt end.

He'd completely misread Ye Wei'an's move.

It wasn't a vertical chop, but a diagonal slash!

Under the change in direction, Scarface's attempt to dodge looked incredibly foolish, as though he'd offered his neck to the blade himself.

The rusty edge slipped precisely into the gap between his fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae, cutting through his windpipe and cartilage. Like a butcher carving meat, it met no resistance at all.

Scarface's furious roar caught in his throat, turning into a wet, wheezing rattle. The world spun before his eyes, and the last thing he saw was his own body...

The headless corpse swayed, then toppled from the carriage, while his head rolled several meters away.

[Killed Scarface, Lv. 1 Fighter, gained 93 experience.]

One underboss had fled and the other had been cut down. The remaining bandits were terrified.

Just as the rabble's morale was about to collapse, the two archers on the outskirts, who had been waiting for an opportunity, finally made their move. They aimed at the top of the carriage and loosed their arrows.

Thwack! Thwack!

One arrow buried itself deep in the door panel in front of Ye Wei'an. The other was deflected by the invisible force-field armor around him and clattered to the ground.

Ye Wei'an didn't even blink. He swept his gaze over the panicking enemies below and raised his casting hand again.

That alone was enough to send several bandits running.

In the space of a few short seconds, the tide of battle had turned.

Ye Wei'an had gained plenty, too.

His experience kept accumulating, and he'd already passed the 300 mark.

A notification appeared in the lower-right corner of his vision.

[Current level experience full (308/300).]

[You can level up. Choose a class to advance.]

Ye Wei'an chose to advance as a [Spellfire Sorcerer].

In the game system, choosing a class didn't mean you had to stick with it forever.

Each time they leveled up, players could choose a different class to [multiclass] into.

But Ye Wei'an wasn't considering that for now.

The [Spellfire Sorcerer] was powerful and versatile enough. He had no need to multiclass to make up for its weaknesses.

The familiar time-stopping scene appeared once more,

and Ye Wei'an began choosing his level-up benefits.

At Sorcerer level 2, he would gain a core ability: [Metamagic].

This allowed Sorcerers to spend sorcery points to modify the effects of their spells as needed. For example, [Distant Spell] doubled a spell's range, while [Extended Spell] doubled its duration.

His abilities as a [Spellfire Sorcerer] would also improve.

[Spellfire Energy]: Your sorcery points are replaced by the unique "Spellfire Energy." Your Spellfire Energy naturally regenerates each day by an amount equal to your caster level. You can also replenish it by absorbing external magical energy or magic items. The maximum amount of Spellfire Energy you can safely store in your body is related to your Constitution. If it exceeds five times your Constitution score, you risk losing control of the energy.

At the same time, his existing [Magic Absorption] ability evolved:

[Magic Absorption]: When you take damage from a spell, you can absorb some of its energy to reduce the damage and regain 1 point of Spellfire Energy.

This evolution was nothing short of a qualitative leap.

It meant Ye Wei'an could build up a large reserve by enduring or absorbing magical attacks, then spend that stored Spellfire Energy at a critical moment to unleash Metamagic at will and produce firepower far beyond what his level should allow.

At level 2, he could choose two Metamagic options. Ye Wei'an immediately picked [Twinned Spell] and [Quicken Spell].

[Twinned Spell]: Spend 1 point of Spellfire Energy to have a spell that normally targets one creature affect two targets instead.

[Quicken Spell]: Spend 2 points of Spellfire Energy to cast a spell instantly, without preparation time.

Upon reaching level 2, Ye Wei'an could also learn two new 1st-level spells.

He chose [Grease] and [Shield].

[Grease]: Create a slippery layer of grease over a 10-square-meter area. Creatures within it are highly likely to lose their balance and fall.

[Shield]: Instantly create an invisible force-field shield to block enemy attacks.

The first was an excellent crowd-control spell. Paired with fire magic, it could produce unexpected results.

The second was an instant shield, a lifesaving trick in a pinch.

Ye Wei'an might have looked like a fearless warrior who didn't even blink as arrows and stones flew at him, but that was only because the bandits were using the cheapest, weakest bows.

Against a real threat, [Mage Armor] alone wouldn't make him feel safe.

He spread the fingers of his left hand and aimed at a patch of ground where the crowd was thickest, then focused his thoughts.

"Grease!"

Magic silently washed over the area.

The next moment, the solid dirt ground suddenly took on a strange, oily sheen and became incredibly slippery.

Seven or eight bandits, packed together as they tried to regroup, were caught off guard when their feet suddenly slipped.

"Ow!"

"Fuck! What's going on with the ground?!"

Amid their cries, one fell flat on his back. Another stumbled into a comrade and knocked him down. More were swept up in the sudden chaos and fell over each other, turning into a writhing heap.

Several nearby guards were delighted at the sight and raised their swords, ready to rush in and finish them off.

"Don't go near them!" Ye Wei'an immediately shouted.

During the fight, Ye Wei'an—the legendary useless young master—had displayed such astonishing power that he'd already begun to earn the guards' respect.

Though they were confused, the guards stopped in their tracks.

The next moment, Ye Wei'an snapped the fingers of his raised hand.

The same blue-white Spellfire Flame appeared, but this time it didn't land on anyone. It appeared amid the slick of grease instead.

The ghostly blue flames spread quickly along the oily surface, and then—

Boom!

The slippery grease was the perfect fuel, and the Spellfire instantly ignited the entire area!

Whoosh!

Ghostly blue and blazing white flames surged up to nearly a person's height, forming a sea of fire that devoured everything in its path.

Even from four or five meters away, the guards were drenched in sweat from the heat.

The bandits caught in the flames had it even worse.

"Ahhhh!"

"I-I'm on fire! Help!"

"Water! Where's the water?!"

Screams so shrill they barely sounded human came from the flames.

The fallen bandits had no time to escape the greasy area. They became human torches on the spot. They writhed wildly, beating at themselves and rolling around in a desperate attempt to ease their pain, only spreading the highly adhesive Spellfire even faster.

The smell of charred protein mingled with the scent of burning grease, filling the air with a strange aroma of roasted meat.

[Killed Lv. 1 Bandit, gained 26 experience.]

[Killed Lv. 1 Bandit, gained 50 experience.]

[Killed Lv. 1 Rogue, gained 81 experience.]

[Killed Lv. 1 Bandit, gained 37 experience.]

A string of kill notifications nearly flooded his vision, and his experience bar jumped straight to (364/500).

Even Ye Wei'an hadn't expected the classic "Grease + Produce Flame" combo to be so deadly.

Both sides of the battlefield were so shocked that they temporarily stopped fighting.

The spellcaster's efficient slaughter was beyond the mundane folk's imagination.

This hellish scene was the final straw that broke the bandits' fighting spirit.

"D-Devil! He's a devil!"

"Run! Run for your lives!"

Someone shouted, and the remaining bandits completely fell apart.

They no longer cared about their leader, their mission, or the reward. Wailing and screaming, they dropped their weapons, turned, and fled in every direction into the woods.

"Pursue them! Don't let them get away!" Knight Cain was the first to react, immediately issuing the order.

The guards launched into pursuit, cutting down several more bandits who'd fallen behind.