Chapter 77

Nick took a deep breath and nodded as he positioned himself directly across from Marthas.“Alright,” he said. “Let’s see how strong that shield is.”

Marthas inclined his head slightly. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Nick decided to begin with , one of his simpler spells. He didn’t reach for his wand, wanting to undersell his first attack. With a snap of his fingers, he shaped the mana and released it as a concentrated gust that shot forward like a battering ram.

The blast collided with the shield—and stopped dead.

Not only did it fail to ripple or break, but the energy seemed to be entirely absorbed. The air settled back into stillness without so much as a breeze reaching the edges of the room.

Nick frowned, stepping closer as he inspected the floor and walls. There wasn’t even a scratch. “Huh,” he muttered, more to himself than to Marthas.

The Prelate chuckled softly. “Impressive spell. Controlled, efficient. But you’re holding back, aren’t you?”

Nick arched a brow at him. “Maybe.”

Marthas chuckled. “Use your wand.”

Nick hesitated for a moment before sighing and pulling the instrument from his belt. “Fine. Let’s see if this does it.”

With his wand as a focus, he prepared to cast , which was currently his most potent offensive spell. He altered its structure slightly, adjusting the pressure zone so that instead of a wide-area effect, the force funneled directly at Marthas.

The air screamed as the compressed wind tore through the room, forming a visible vortex that slammed against the shield.ic magic. I want you to try casting a of your own. It shouldn’t be too difficult now that you’ve seen how it works, but I’ll write down the basic spell form to help you."

Nick nodded, committing the pentagram to memory. He swung his wand, channeling his mana into a circular barrier. The energy coalesced, forming a faintly shimmering shield before him. It wasn’t as steady as Marthas’—small ripples and distortions marred the surface—but it held. It was a remarkable achievement, given what his usual attempts at new magic were like, but he had the advantage of long experience with similar principles. This was just another way to apply them.

Marthas examined the shield critically. “Not bad for a first attempt. Now, let’s test it.”

Before Nick could respond, Marthas raised a hand and cast a weak . The force struck the shield directly, and though it wobbled dangerously, it held firm. Nick felt the impact resonate through his mana, a strange but not unpleasant sensation.

“Your shield absorbed most of the force,” Marthas said. “But it’s unstable. You’re focusing too much on feeding it power and not enough on balancing it over its surface. Try again, and this time, prioritize stability over power. You’ll get there in time.”

Nick adjusted his stance, dismissing the barrier and recasting it with the advice in mind. He spread the mana more evenly across the surface, reinforcing the edges to prevent collapse. The new shield was thinner but smoother, and its surface was free of ripples.

When the struck it, it hardly trembled. "Again," Nick called, adjusting the spell as the Prelate obligingly continued to strike it until it finally resisted without a single waver.

Marthas nodded approvingly. “Better. Much better.”

As if to give his words more weight, a ding resounded in Nick’s mind, and the System informed him that he had learned a new spell.

You have learned the spell .

+4,300 EXP.

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Nick grinned. It’d be a while before the next level, but he was racking up the experience with all these new spells. “What now?”

Marthas stepped back, his expression turning serious. “Now, we see how it holds under actual pressure.”

He raised both hands, and Nick barely had time to brace himself before a surge of force slammed into the shield. The barrier shuddered, cracks spidering across its surface.

Nick’s grin widened once it was clear it had held. “Not bad for a beginner, huh?”

Marthas smirked. “Don’t get cocky. You’ve made progress today, but this is only the beginning.”

Nick reforged the shield as he watched Marthas reset his stance. “Before we continue,” the older man said, “tell me, Nick. What do you think is the most important aspect of kinetic magic now that you have learned some of the theory?”

Nick tilted his head, considering the question. “Control,” he said after a moment. “Without it, power is useless.” It was as much of an admission to being wrong in his earlier request as he could stomach.

Marthas nodded slowly with a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “An insightful answer. But control is only the beginning. Precision, efficiency, adaptability—without any of these, it’s merely useful as a demonstration tool. You’ve made impressive strides, but let’s see how well you adapt under pressure.”

Without further warning, Marthas raised a hand and cast again. The force shot toward Nick’s shield with greater intensity than before. The impact sent vibrations rippling through the barrier, and Nick felt the strain in his mana as he struggled to maintain its integrity.

“Stability, Nick,” Marthas said, his tone almost casual. “Focus on even distribution.”

Gritting his teeth, Nick adjusted the flow of mana, spreading it more evenly across the shield’s surface. The cracks mended themselves, and the barrier stabilized just in time to absorb a second strike.

“Good,” Marthas said, lowering his hand. “Now, let’s see if you can multitask.”

Before Nick could respond, the Prelate cast again, this time in rapid succession. The strikes came from different angles, forcing Nick to adjust his shield on the fly. He redirected mana to reinforce the points of impact, desperately trying to keep the barrier intact.

“Not as bad as I feared,” Marthas hummed. “But you’re relying too much on reaction. If you can’t anticipate your opponent’s attack, you’ll be at their mercy. This is why mage duels are most often decided by experience rather than raw power.”

Nick frowned. He closed his eyes briefly, casting to expand his awareness. The spell enveloped the room, allowing him to sense the subtle shifts in the air as Marthas prepared his next move.

When the Prelate cast again, Nick was ready. He adjusted the shield preemptively, absorbing the strike with minimal effort. The next few attacks followed, and Nick deflected each one with increasing confidence.

“Interesting,” Marthas murmured, watching him closely. “That spell you’re using—what is it?”

Nick hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering. “A sensory enhancement. It helps me read the flow of the air.”

The Prelate’s gaze sharpened. “Clever. It’s rare to see a young mage integrate sensory magic into their combat repertoire. It usually takes until their first monster ambush to learn any.”

Nick shrugged. “It works.”

“It does,” Marthas agreed. “But don’t let it become a crutch. Sensory spells can be disrupted, and relying on them too heavily will leave you vulnerable.”

The lesson continued in that vein, until it was lunchtime and Nick was drenched in sweat, his mana reserves dangerously low. But he felt exhilarated, his mind buzzing with new insights and possibilities.

“You’ve done well today,” Marthas said, clapping a hand on Nick’s shoulder and almost sending him sprawling on the ground. “But remember, this is only the beginning. Mastery takes time, effort, and a willingness to challenge your own limits.”

Nick met his gaze, a flicker of defiance in his eyes. “I’m not afraid of a challenge.”

Marthas chuckled, a deep, resonant sound. “Good. I expect great things from you, Nick. Don’t disappoint me.”

Nick left the temple grounds, unsure of who had gotten the better end of the deal. Sure, he’d learned two new spells and had finally understood what had kept Earth’s mages from advancing their kinetic magic, but dealing with Marthas always left him on edge.

That felt vaguely ominous. Unfortunately, Nick didn’t have much choice. If he wanted to advance his magic quickly enough to prepare for the dungeon’s approach, he needed a teacher, and Marthas was the only one available.

Before he realized it, his feet had taken him toward the fields behind Elia’s house. He wasn’t planning to barge in, especially after the cold reception from her father that morning. However, he couldn’t shake the sense that something more was happening, and he wasn’t about to let it linger in the back of his mind.

Stopping well before the property's edge, Nick crouched in the tall grass and exhaled slowly. His wand slipped in his hand, and he concentrated, casting through it.

“,” he murmured.

The world unfolded around him. Information surged through his senses—countless details of the breeze, the sway of the grass, the chirp of birds—but Nick narrowed his focus until Elia’s home was firmly at its center.

That brought clarity, and he noticed five people within. As expected, he immediately found Teo, Wulla, and Elia—who, surprisingly, was out of bed. But what made him raise an eyebrow were the two others—a wolfkin and a stocky, barrel-chested bearman he vaguely recognized from the Inspection at the temple.

Nick adjusted the spell’s focus, “listening” in on the gathering. The five sat in the living room, speaking in hushed tones. Elia was sitting upright, much less sluggish than he would’ve expected from someone recovering from a Vine Wraith attack.

“…cannot stay still forever,” Wulla said in a commanding tone. Nick blinked. This wasn’t the warm, smiling housewife he’d come to know. It was almost like listening to another person entirely. “The current chaos gives us cover. We’ll never have a better opportunity.”

Nick leaned forward, fully engaged. Thanks to his air sense, he had always had a knack for gathering gossip from around town, but his new sensory spell allowed him to listen with a clarity he had never achieved before.

The wolfkin frowned, crossing his arms. “I agree with you in theory, Wulla, but this isn’t a decision we can take lightly. If we act now and fail, the consequences will be devastating for the whole community.”

“We’re already in danger,” Wulla countered. “The Inspection proved that. Once the dungeon is dealt with, they’ll target us again. They even have justification to.”

Teo raised a hand, silencing the wolfkin before he could reply. “Yet, there’s reason to wait,” he said calmly. “While discovering a demon possessing Morrin was bad for us in the long term, the human population is too on edge right now. The Prelate might have cleared us, but they’ll soon be looking for scapegoats again, and we can’t afford to give them any reason to point fingers at us.”

Wulla stood up abruptly, pacing as she responded. “We’ve been careful—more careful than any of us wanted to be. But if we wait for the perfect moment, it will never come. The dungeon expanding in this direction is a threat, yes, but it’s also a distraction. Their attention is divided, and we can use that to our advantage.”

The stocky bearman shifted uncomfortably. “What you’re proposing is very risky, Wulla. You’re talking about declaring independence from the humans. Do you really think they will just let that slide? Especially after the Prelate’s arrival?”

“We’re not asking for permission,” Wulla shot back. “We’re claiming what’s ours. What has always been ours.”

Nick’s head swam with the implications. He’d never heard anything about the beastmen having a claim over Floria. In fact, as far as he knew, they’d been almost forcibly resettled here during the last rebuilding. Yet, as he continued to listen, it became clear that Wulla’s arguments were swaying the others, even if only because she was browbeating them.

Elia, who had been silent up to this point, finally spoke. She was quieter than her mother, but no less involved. “If we’re going to do this, we need a plan. And we need to be ready for the fallout. We’ll face resistance.”

Nick felt a pang of unease. Elia sounded… different. There was a coldness in her tone that he hadn’t heard before, and it made him wonder just how much she had changed recently. Or if he knew her all that well.

The discussion continued, but before Nick could gather more, Wulla froze mid-sentence. Her sharp eyes scanned the room, then turned toward the nearest window.

“We have a guest,” she announced icily.

Nick’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately dampened his mana flow, trying to suppress any hint of an active spell.

It was too late.

The wolfkin stood, his ears twitching as he sniffed the air. “Human,” he growled.