Marlin’s face turned pale in an instant. If a powerful and unfamiliar mage suddenly shows up at a den of wandering mages, no different from vagabonds, and says he needs test subjects, it can only mean one thing.
‘Human experimentation…!’
Wandering mages are not affiliated with any academy. This means they are completely exposed to external threats. Moreover, the body of a mage with embedded magic circuits can sometimes be considered an extremely efficient test subject.
It wasn’t just Marlin. Every mage in the room had the same thought flash through their minds. The atmosphere, which had been chilled by the overwhelming difference in power, suddenly ignited.
“If that is what the deceased desired…”
Marlin slowly clasped his hands together and spoke respectfully. Here, he was trying to lure them into complacency. But the tone of his voice, the strange rhythm that flowed like a dialect, subtly infused with magic, and the melody-like score of a spell being drawn out.
He couldn’t use offensive magic. The difference in skill in magical combat was too vast. Therefore, cooperation and ambush. Marlin’s spell was a warning. A warning pheromone-like signal to all the mages staying in this inn, belonging to this inn.
“We have no choice but to fight!!”
-Wham!
-Crack!
-Zing!
Ambushing the strong is a basic skill of wandering mages. The foundation of magical combat lies in neutralizing the opponent’s magic. Wandering mages are essentially not much different from well-trained assassins.
Such individuals, the Wildcasts who had wandered aimlessly for years, even decades, simultaneously unleashed their spells. It was a meticulously planned attack, including at least seven or eight offensive spells, half a dozen disruptive spells, and even physical dagger throws.
However, Fernandez was just smiling faintly under his robe.
-How cute.
‘How cute.’
Fernandez gripped the hilt of his sword under his wide robe. He had anticipated resistance, but seeing them resist as expected was enjoyable.
For years, even decades. To an old mage who had wandered aimlessly for forty years, half his life, under the name Wildcast, this was just a cute little performance.
-Clang!
First, three daggers. Among the sharply flying daggers from different directions, the first one to approach was deflected by the pommel at the end of the hilt.
Gloomy blue eyes shone beneath the hood. Next. The dagger aimed at his head was dodged by turning his head, and with that momentum, he reached out and hooked his finger into the ring of the last dagger, catching it!
“What?!”
Dodging a dagger. Of course, it’s possible. Deflecting a dagger? Difficult, and it requires some luck, but possible. But catching a dagger mid-air, its ring hooked by a single finger? Those who can do that belong in a circus or a knight’s order!
Regardless of the shock, the already completed spells were hurled towards Fernandez. He ignored the widely spread disruptive spells. They were simple spells meant to interfere with the weaving of magic by disrupting the flow of magical energy.
‘Anyway, I can’t use magic.’
Using the Bronze Throne, it wouldn’t be entirely impossible, but that would defeat the purpose of the experiment. And next, the offensive spells.
‘I’ll dispel this one, and block that one.’
Fireballs or lightning bolts, physical spells, are useless. What his experiment needed were more intricate and sticky ‘curse’ type spells. In the same posture as catching the dagger, he flicked his finger and clenched his fist.
-Crack!
He had no choice but to dodge the already formed spells, but that would be no fun. A truly overwhelming strongman should exude dignity in every move!
-Boom!
“What the…! Don’t interfere!”
“I, I didn’t do it! That monster did it!”
Screams erupted among the mages. The fireballs and lightning bolts collided and canceled each other out. The targeting was perfect, but the trajectories suddenly shifted, causing them to crash into each other!
“What about the disruptive spells?! How can he still use magic? Did he break through all those disruptive spells?”
“No! He’s not using any spells at all!”
Magical wedges are not considered completed spells. They are not about invoking special effects with magic but rather forcibly inserting small fragments of magic between spells to disrupt them.
Disruptive spell formulas cannot dismantle mere magical wedges, which are just small clumps of magic. Higher-level defensive spells require more complexity and longer casting times.
So, this strange mage. Just by inserting magical wedges between spells, he could bend the direction of completed spells, indicating a highly skilled and advanced spellcaster!
“Damn it! I’ll do it!”
The old man sitting by the fireplace shouted roughly and slammed his staff on the ground. A new spell quickly took shape and headed towards the stranger buried in the aftermath of the explosion.
The old man tore off the tip of his thumb, scattering drops of blood on the floor. Tap, as the blood hit the floor, a red flash bounced off the end of the staff and shot through the black smoke.
“Got it! It worked!”
“What spell was that?!”
“Zick’s Puppet!”
“Great!!”
Cheers of relief erupted among the mages. A master of illusion spells. If the high-level sorcery of the ‘Zermed School’ was perfectly cast, he should be immobilized now.
Indeed, as the smoke cleared and his figure became visible, the atmosphere in the room softened significantly. The hood had fallen off due to the rough movements, revealing the face of a young man gripping a greatsword.
“Young… man…?”
“Did the spell work?”
“Of course. He’s not moving at all!”
The mages slowly approached him, murmuring. The young man, stiff as a statue, with half-white hair…
