Chapter 7: Malevolent Part 1

The stench of freshly drawn blood wafted in the air. Marcus had cut him cleanly, from his waist to shoulder, yet the student refused to fall.

‘Is that it?’ he thought with a pinch of disappointment.

Then his fading eyes narrowed into slits. Something wasn’t right about him. The mana circulating the student had vanished. His heart hammering in alarm, Marcus willed his puppet to withdraw.

A patch of fake skin dropped on the floor, revealing the runes inscribed on the student’s forehead. The runes began to glow. He put his hand straight up into the sky. Opening his palm, the student murmured some words he didn’t understand. Streaks of light gathered and formed a huge sword dazzling with purity. Grasping that sword of light, the student leaped into action.

“Marvelous!” At the sight of his silver puppet sliced in two, Marcus nearly fell on his chair; his old veins throbbing with youthful excitement. That speed, that strength, that recuperative ability — the student greatly exceeded his expectations.

But that wasn’t enough in itself. He needed more data. Marcus summoned his whole arsenal of armored puppets. But the student, who moved like a whirlwind, eliminated them all as quick as they appeared. One by one toppled on the ground in an unforeseen sword strokes until he had fully run out of pawns.

“You!” The student gritted his teeth in frustration and glared at the ceiling, straight to his crystal orb — to him. “This will NOT happen again!” He roared at the top of his lungs. “Know that your next attempt will be your last, for I will HUNT you down like the animal that you are — even if it means toppling this whole academy upside down! You have been warned. Ignore it, and consider your life forfeit.”

Malevolence flashed in the student’s eyes, and the utter conviction of it struck his heart with fear. Though it wouldn’t matter, Marcus released his spell and unbarred his path.

“A real monster,” said the old mage as he calmed his breathing.

The council had warned him not to stimulate any unwanted hostility from the student in his current state, not until they had unmasked his real intentions. But for an aged magician like himself, sating his thirst for knowledge meant everything.

The student accompanying a group of freshmen yesterday limited his adjustments. Though strengthened to a higher degree, he knew those monsters weren’t enough to bring out an Exquisitor’s real skill. He pondered on how he could separate the student from his group of friends.

Imagine his surprise after finding out that the chance presented itself. Summoning his prized puppets in his dungeon, Marcus waited in ambush. And now that he had seen the real deal, his curiosity about Exquisitors and their Holy swords ever grew stronger.

* * *

The sword in his hand dissipated as he placed a palm on his forehead.

“Please… Please remain sealed…” he prayed in the faintest of whisper. He spent so much time strengthening the seal, gave up everything; he wouldn’t let a single outburst destroy it.

As soon as the familiar sensation left his body, Chris sighed in relief. He then switched his gaze to his assassins. No blood, no reaction, he wondered what they are.

“Armor?” What he found was a lifeless suit of armor. Though the others were clothed differently, they all carried the same concept; a purple gem was embedded on their chest sockets.

He knew the purpose of those gems. It served to provide link to an inanimate object through a person’s mana, giving the puppeteer free will as if they were their own limbs. And for someone to control this many at the same time could only mean a capable mage confronted him.

Chris reminded himself to be wary. He had made countless enemies in his time as an Exquisitor, and it wouldn’t surprise him if one of those was this foolish magus.

Suppressing his anger, he took the gems and weapons before gathering the puppets in one pile and incinerating them whole. That ought to teach that mage a lesson.

Continuing on, a dark, flabby creature carrying a trident spotted Chris and let out a shriek. It scurried to his direction while raising its short limbs. A step away, Chris spun his staff and hit the monster straight on its face. The force of the blow smashed the monster’s head in and sent it sliding back. Chris delivered a small fireball on its trail, and with it ignited the monster in flames. Disappearing with a poof, the monster left a piece of its dark wing in place.

* * *

“Hey, took you long enough.” Raven waved at him by the safe zone. Then his feline ears twitched as his eyes narrowed at the state of his clothes. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just a flesh wound.” Chris shrugged it off. “What’s wrong?” He questioned Tess who was intently gazing at him.

Tess nodded her head. “On your forehead. What is that?”

“It’s nothing.” Chris smiled. “Just a small burn.”

“Ehh… It doesn’t seem like it.” Tess wore a look that told him she didn’t believe a word he said.

But the last damn thing he wanted was to allow more people into the fog of his pain. Reaching for the fake skin in his pocket, Chris hid the markings with his right hand as he cast [Regeneration]. “See? It’s gone now.”

“Right!” Luana interrupted. “By the way, Christopher, you look exhausted.” She opened her inventory and offered him a health flask. “I just happen to have the perfect potion to alleviate stress! Go ahead and give it a try~”

Chris knew better when to argue, especially when a girl flashed him such an innocent smile. Stress relieving medicines were much needed too. Raven’s visible smirk, however, gave him an eerie suspicion. Chris frowned after opening the bottle. “Luana, what kind of mixture did you put in here?”

“How rude! That’s like asking a girl for her weight! Stop being a wimp and become the perfect specimen!” Luana snatched the bottle from his hand and stuffed it into his mouth. “How is it? Pretty good, eh?”

“Wow. You’re right.” Chris nodded in agreement after chugging it down.

“No way.” Raven stared at him, his mouth agape.

“Oh yes way~” Luana elbowed Raven on the ribs.

“So a mixture of…” Tess made a note while mumbling some words on the side.

The useless banter went on and on.

After thanking Luana for her medicine, Chris inquired about the girls’ abilities. Focusing on offense, Tess carried the burst stone for [Dancing Sword] and the spirit stones for [Freeze Link] and [Blaze Link]. Luana, on the other hand, equipped the burst stone for [Triple Stab], while having [Water Jet] and [Regeneration] for backup magic.

When he asked Luana to demonstrate her magic, he realized the difference with his own. Skill bracelets assists the user into performing feats outside of their limitations. Even a user who hasn’t used magic in their lifetime could perform magic as easy as reciting the skill’s name. [Water Jet] is one of those cases. His [Invoke Flame], on the contrary, required an image in his head for the magic to conjure.

‘Speed magic and their advantages.’ Chris made a mental note.