Chapter 192: Spell Suppression and Combat Strategy
“If you were looking for an excuse to leave because of what happened earlier, there’s really no need to say you wanted to have a battle with me.”
After Tan Han casually brought me into an open arena, she spoke to me.
“Do you think I’m just looking for an excuse?” I smiled at Tan Han, “Am I being that obvious?”
“I’ve seen quite a few people like you who struggle in bigger situations. They usually end awkwardly, but you’re the first I’ve seen who has the ability but still doesn’t know how to handle these situations,” Tan Han replied with a smile, “Of course, I didn’t mean to say…”
“You have an uncanny ability to read people.”
I sighed. Have I really not interacted with others for too long? Or is it that even now I’m struggling to adapt to this sudden change?
What kind of existence was around me before, and what kind of people are with me now? If I were still the same as before, I would definitely be out of place.
It feels like right now, any of my actions could be interpreted by others, revealing my shallow inner thoughts.
“Reading people’s expressions is a skill too. Maybe you should adapt in advance; after all, the levels of interaction you’ll have in the future won’t be as superficial as they were before.”
“Thanks for the reminder.”
My gaze drifted slightly. While I could absorb what Tan Han was saying, I couldn’t guarantee I could make changes. I could only use the environment here to distract myself.
This was a combat space randomly opened by Tan Han, with a desert terrain and an overcast sky that looked like a sandstorm was brewing in the distance.
I absolutely had never seen such a scene in reality, but here it was just a backdrop for battle.
“Haha, don’t mind what I said. I’m just making a suggestion; some people are destined not to adhere to the existing rules,” Tan Han turned around and took a few steps. Her shoes sank lightly into the yellow sand, and the footprints she left were gradually buried, forming a shallow sand pit.
“The atmosphere feels really good right now. Although we determined a winner in the last battle, I don’t think that was the final outcome. How about another match?”
“That sounds good. Who told me to come up with such a reason?” I wiped my palms and looked at Tan Han, who had already drawn her magic wand, my lips twitching slightly.
“By the way, where did you get this magic wand?”
“Don’t you know? If you’ve looked for it, you should know there’s a shop in the Dream World. Many items in the shop are free for us contestants to try out. I can give you a little time to pick a wand you like, and then we can battle.”
“Thank you.” Prompted by her words, I quickly found the shop Tan Han mentioned. Inside, various items were available for free trial, providing privileges for contestants in this academy exchange competition.
I wasted no time, flipped to the wand section, and picked the sturdiest one.
This short wand felt hefty in my hand, and I quickly got the hang of it after a few swings.
“Alright, I’m all set. How do we start the battle? Do we count down together?” I asked curiously.
“That’s not necessary. This is a Dream World battle arena, so there’s naturally a countdown. Just confirm it; the countdown is three seconds.”
“That’s really convenient.”
I clicked on the battle preparation that popped up in front of me, and soon a loud countdown sounded in my ears.
“Three… two… one, battle begins!”
As the announcement of the battle’s start sounded, both Tan Han and I quickly reacted.
Body enhancement, perception enhancement, energy shield, shield protection.
Both Tan Han and I opted for self-enhancements right at the beginning because this was the best time to release such spells. Otherwise, in the subsequent battle, the opponent wouldn’t give such opportunities, and we might start with a disadvantage.
Of course, it was also a chance for a sneak attack, just like Tan Han did with that magic wand, but this time she didn’t choose to do so, and the one launching the sneak attack became me.
Illusionary Clone, a spell very suitable for surprise attacks right from the start, or a spell used to create distractions.
However, it was clear that Tan Han wasn’t falling for this. She let the attacks from my illusionary clones hit her. Although she instinctively dodged at the moment of attack, her mental resilience was still quite strong.
Keep in mind that the modified illusionary clone’s agility had greatly improved, even being able to release “magic,” although the power of the released spells was minimal. It certainly looked impressive.
“Aren’t you afraid it’s real?” I provocatively smiled.
“I’ve been watching your illusionary clone being modified slightly. How could I possibly mistake it?”
Without hesitation, Tan Han used the transformation spell, but not the ancient ice spell. She couldn’t use that yet, as her magic source wasn’t sufficient.
She used the beast transformation spell, a comprehensive spell that enhances all her abilities.
“But in the end, you still dodged.” While talking, I waved my hand, and five types of elemental spells forced Tan Han back.
Tan Han’s transformation spell turned her into a tiger person. I noticed that the tiger transformation seemed to be a popular choice among transformation spells; many prototype spellbooks feature it. However, Tan Han’s version was not a simple tiger transformation.
The lightning that arched from her body directly withstood the fastest lightning strike spell, which was enough to send the bl**d Clan into a cycle of d*ath. Against this transformation spell, not even a shield could withstand it; she absorbed it, demonstrating strong defensive capabilities, along with a high resistance to lightning damage.
However, after a wind blade inflicted damage on Tan Han’s tiger claw, she began to grasp her power and physical tolerance. For the following spells, she relied on her powerful physique and reflexes to evade, but the cost was creating distance between us.
For a transformation spell relying on raw physical prowess, distance becomes the most unreachable form of defense.
Unless the opponent’s transformation spell turns them into a spellcasting race that can launch ranged attacks.
“Your elemental spells are quite powerful.”
Tan Han dispelled her transformation spell, likely out of caution. Unlike her first battle, she didn’t immediately cast strong spells. After all, that would be ineffective, and if she exhausted her energy too quickly, it would lead to a predictable outcome in the battle.
So after understanding this, Tan Han also recognized the importance of the foundational consumable spellbook. It may not decide the battle alone, but it guarantees the degree of strategy during combat.
Thus, she needed other breakthrough strategies.
“Isn’t the reason clear to you? Tan Han, what happened to those powerful spells of yours? Don’t be too hesitant in the second round,” I said, interspersing gaps to distract Tan Han.
At this moment, Tan Han felt quite pressured, needing to dodge my relentless elemental spells. The elemental spells didn’t guarantee safety just by dodging. Take wind blade and fireball for example; the arc and curves of their spell effects could become a headache, so she couldn’t rely solely on evasion, she had to either bear the defenses or offset the spell effects.
Moreover, there was interference from the illusionary clones, and there wasn’t just one of them; she had to identify them carefully. Sometimes, even the spell effects could be deceptive, amplifying her energy consumption.
Just from this initial contact, Tan Han understood what spell fire suppression meant, and now she needed even stronger spells to break the deadlock. However, casting powerful spells requires time, which means she has to endure several spell effects.
But the problem was that the power of the opponent’s spell effects far exceeded that of basic consumption spells.
Her defensive spells at the same level had already turned into one-time-use spells, not enough to allow her to break the deadlock unscathed.
And at this moment, facing such a battle again, I felt different from those instances of easy victories against the challenge rooms.
Although I was still casting spells, this time it was not about harvesting; it felt more like a strategic game, with me currently in the dominant position.
“Hehe… you still like summoning and transformation spells.”
In the next moment, Tan Han changed her strategy to counter my suppression, directly using a larger number of summoning spells as fodder to buy her time.
At this moment, Tan Han’s momentum shifted. Under the protection of her spells, she took a fireball hit from me but traded that for the release of a high-consumption spellbook.
Once the transformation spell was cast, her terrifying momentum surged to an extreme level.
“Take this!”
With her body surrounded by terrifying flames, Tan Han suddenly flashed in front of me, greeting me with her massive fist.
“Huh?”
In that moment, I was shocked by Tan Han’s “teleportation” technique, almost forgetting how quickly she had come to punish that bl**d Clan previously!
Clearly, you didn’t come when I unleashed spell suppression, but now, when I least expect it, you pull this!
Does such a teleportation spell not have any preparatory actions?
But I didn’t have time to think about such things. The only energy shield I had left along with the minor protective shield was clearly not going to hold long against this attack.
Just this one strike showed signs of shattering, and the next moment, it completely shattered, even the fastest energy shield would struggle to protect me.
“Blind!”
So I chose to use a flashbang to escape. The energy shield couldn’t withstand this deliberately charged blow, but it was enough for me to buy some time.
“You can’t escape!” With her perception enhancement, Tan Han wouldn’t lose track of me just because of the blinding effect. This was all part of her plan for close combat to deal a fatal blow!
“Fire Elemental Sprite’s Protection!”
A booming shout echoed in front of Tan Han, instantly arousing her alertness, followed by a wave of heat sweeping toward her.
Once the blinding effect vanished, what faced Tan Han was no longer the fire elemental sprite she had suppressed with her transformation spell; it was the effect of a similarly high-consumption spell, also providing fire elemental damage reduction. Even if she was up close, there was still some leeway.
“You released a high-consumption spellbook so quickly? Wait a second…”
The moment Tan Han questioned this soul-crushing query, she realized the answer herself. The terrifying heatwave that had just collided with her was a fireball spell, but to this fire-element reduction transformation, the damage was minor.
“Of course, it’s not.”
My voice came from the side, and then the tip of the magic wand connected with her body, and in the next moment, it pierced directly into Tan Han’s side.
This was also something I discovered only after using this wand. The wand’s sturdiness wasn’t just its strongest feature; its true purpose lay in its sharpness for penetrating defenses, and its need for sturdiness was indeed to sustain that solidified trait.
“Modified·Fireball~”
The powerful fireball spell after modification was about to unleash an internal explosion within Tan Han.
“Hehe… once again tricked by the illusionary clone.”
Tan Han, realizing this, accepted her defeat calmly. Such is the nature of combat; unless it’s an exhausting battle, victory or loss often occurs unexpectedly.
Even though her hidden trump card, teleportation, caused great trouble for me, the illusionary clone she had grown accustomed to ultimately became the fatal blow.
How ironic.
And in the next moment, the terrifying explosion from within her brought unbearable pain and injuries. Even the strong physical qualities from her transformation spell could not withstand it; the explosion occurred right at the core of the transformation spell, triggering a backlash, and even the spell effect dissipated at that moment.
The transformation spell’s dissolution removed most of the internal explosion’s impact, but even the residual damage was enough to render her frail body unable to continue. That wand remained protruding from Tan Han’s side until she confirmed her d*ath, and only after confirming her revival did the wand drop to the ground.
At that moment, Tan Han recalled the online rumor about Xiao Han being a transformation spell killer… Now that she thought about it, it wasn’t exaggerated at all…
Once again defeated in a transformation state, but this time there were no spectators, just endless yellow sand and the two combatants.
And this victory would go unknown to a third person.
“That was an exciting battle. Let’s have another round.”
After reviving, Tan Han instinctively touched her side, and it seemed the phantom pain hadn’t disappeared with her resurrection. Perhaps it was just her brain not yet adapting. Even the backlash from the spells felt like it hadn’t settled, but that didn’t stop her from calling for another round.
“Sure, the unexpected victories and losses always draw everyone to feel like they’re just one step away,” I said with a smile.
The shock from Tan Han’s teleportation earlier had genuinely quickened my heartbeat, and it made me realize that in a real life-and-d*ath moment, there’s no limit to turning the tables; it’s just about instinct winning out.
And turning many things into instinct requires more practical combat experience to repeat constantly.
If I hadn’t envisioned how the blinding and illusionary clone’s combination could set a trap in such a short time earlier, I wouldn’t have managed it.
Just like the spellbook, without a thorough understanding of it, how could I possibly trigger new inspirations in those critical moments?
It felt like, at that moment, I discovered… no, I experienced a new perspective on modified spells.
Previously, I was always thinking of unleashing inspirations in battle. But now, I was personally trying to spark inspiration!
If I could use “practical spell application” during battle, wouldn’t that process be even more effective?
And that was the main reason I agreed to let Tan Han have another round. Having Tan Han as a practice partner is an experience that few would dare to imagine, not to mention that Tan Han seems to genuinely enjoy it!
