Book Eater

Chapter 25: Night in the Nadun Mountain Ranges (3)

The strength of a magician lay in their ability to easily overpower their opponents from a safe distance. Even war magicians trained in martial arts would lose the moment they entered a knight’s range. The same thing applied to the hobgoblin chief who possessed greater physical abilities than humans.

However, Theodore decided to run forward first.

If I retreat, I’ll die!

A naive magician would’ve stepped back and died. Instead of ignoring the advice of his senses, Theo gritted his teeth and charged forward. Backing away was absolutely not a wise choice.

Theo only took five steps before he entered the range of the chief’s spear. Now the chief wouldn’t be able to kill him by hurling the spear at him. However, Theo wouldn’t be able to defend against the spear with 3rd Circle magic. Even if he avoided the spear, the ax would slice off his head.

“Haste!” Acceleration magic wrapped around Theo’s body. Theo’s movements were faster, and the ugly face of the hobgoblin chief was soon right in front of him.

The chief was holding the ax over his head like he would bring it down at any moment. Theo had only exercised for two months and he was only marginally faster, so it was a blow which couldn’t be avoided.

He called out to Mitra as he dropped into a slide, “Now!”

At that moment, the right leg of the hobgoblin chief sank into the ground, and he was thrown off balance. Mitra had created a pit at the chief’s feet. It was only thirty centimeters deep, but thanks to that, the ax hit empty air.

Huoong!

As Theo listened to the ax traveling over his head, he aimed at the hobgoblin chief’s ribs.

“Fireball!”

The fireball slammed into the chief’s side.

Kwaang!

The shock waves from the explosion forced Theo back a few steps. That blow would have been fatal to a normal hobgoblin, but Theo knew it would take more than that to topple a chief. Theo stared at the gray smoke around his opponent.

Damn, if his head was exposed, then I would’ve used Magic Bullet.

Alfred-style Magic Missile, also known as Magic Bullet, would’ve penetrated the hobgoblin chief’s skin without any difficulty. However, it was only lethal if it hit a vital point. The skin of a monster was much tougher than a human’s, and their body structure was also different. So, Theo needed to hit the right place for a fatal wound. Unfortunately, he had never studied the anatomy of a hobgoblin, which was why he had used Fireball instead of Magic Bullet.

Kuwaaaah!

The chief roared in pain and fury from within the smoke. The Fireball had left a horrendous burn on the chief’s skin, but the hobgoblin’s combat power was untouched.

“Fireball is insufficient,” Theo muttered when he saw the chief.

Fireball had the strongest firepower below the 4th Circle. If it wasn’t effective, then he only had two means of attack that could overcome the chief’s defense.

Blaze Shell or Magic Bullet.

The first was dismissed. Theo could use Blaze Shell as a one-time ability after eating Roaring Flames, but it took too long to prepare. He would’ve died ten times by the time he managed to gather the magic power and chant the spell.

It would be a different story if the other mercenaries stalled the hobgoblin chief, but...

Hoo, I was wrong to expect a lot.

The mercenaries had retreated after seeing the difference in strength and were taking care of the hobgoblins instead. Money was only good if they were alive to spend it. The mercenaries had no desire to confront the hobgoblin chief when it was likely that they would die. Theo considered himself fortunate that the mercenaries hadn’t routed and were battling the other hobgoblins instead.

“... Okay, I’ll try it once.”

Theo stared at the hobgoblin chief’s red eyes and gathered magic power in his arms. He only had two chances. If Theo burned all his magic power to penetrate the hobgoblin chief’s defense, he would only be able to use the spell twice. It would be different if he was Alfred, but Theo hadn’t completely mastered the spell yet, so there was a limit for him.

The hobgoblin chief panted as Theodore Miller gathered magic power in his arms. The sudden respite in combat was disquieting after its frenzied beginning.

Kurwaaak!

The hobgoblin chief ran out of patience first and charged at Theo.

Swaeeek!

He thrust the spear forward, trying to skewer Theo. Theo frantically backpedaled, dodging the spear only to be greeted by the hobgoblin chief’s ax slashing at him. It was obvious that the ax had enough power to cut through a thick log.

“Mitra!”

Mitra responded to Theo’s call and made another pit under the chief’s feet.

Kuruk, kururuk!

The hobgoblin’s ax twisted in midair as the hobgoblin chief hopped over the pit, scoffing at Theo. The anger filling the chief’s eyes disappeared. The pain hadn’t fogged his brain, nor had he forgotten about the trap he’d once fallen for. The chief’s ax continued on its deadly journey.

Theo smirked.

Puk!

Another pit suddenly appeared. This time, it was at Theo’s feet instead of under the hobgoblin.

Huoong!

The ax whistled over Theo’s head as he dropped into the shallow pit. Confusion filled the hobgoblin’s face as his opponent seemingly disappeared. Crouched on the ground, which had been softened by Mitra, Theo aimed his index finger at the chief’s head. There was no way the chief could avoid Magic Bullet at this range.

A blue flash launched from Theo’s fingertip.

Piyuuuong!

The extremely compressed magic power tore through the air as it broke through the wall of sound. It was powerful enough to penetrate armor and thick leather like it was cotton. The Magic Bullet flashed toward the chief’s head.

Hit!

It wasn’t unreasonable to feel confident. The blow had been precisely timed. However, the chief’s wild instincts roared to life as he desperately forced the ax into the path of the flash.

Kakang!

The ax shattered and the hobgoblin rocked back as the Magic Bullet collided with his head. Blood splattered on Theo’s face, but he hastily sprang out of the pit and took some distance from the chief as he tried to evaluate the chief’s injury.

The chief had already gotten up and grabbed his wounded forehead.

“Dammit, too shallow!”

The wound was too shallow. The Magic Bullet had been consumed right before it could pierce the chief’s skull. The ax had absorbed too much of its power. Now Theo only had a single shot of Magic Bullet left. The next attack would be the end.

Kuruk, kururururu...

Theodore’s Magic Bullet was too threatening, so the chief didn’t dare approach Theo anymore. Rather, he grasped the spear and kept swinging it. He kept moving, not letting Theo set up another clean shot. Theo wasn’t confident about hitting a target moving at such high speed either. In the end, the narrow gap between them widened to a greater distance than it had been at the beginning.

That posture!

The chief’s arm was flexed like a bow, and the spear was pulled back like an arrow. It was the typical posture of someone preparing to throw the spear. A fearsome blow which would threaten Theodore’s life was about to be used again.

Theo raised his right arm, which still had one Magic Bullet remaining.

Hwiiiing!

A chilly wind blew past as the two beings aimed for each other’s lives. The tension was intense, and even the mercenaries and hobgoblins held their breath as they watched the confrontation. Everyone instinctively understood that the winner would obtain an indisputable advantage on the battlefield.

So, it was no wonder that the hobgoblin chief moved first.

Kuraaaaaah-!

The speed at which he sprang forward was like the wind. At that speed, the distance between them would vanish in five seconds. Theo’s back grew damp with tension. However, the chief understood the horror of the Magic Bullet and jumped into the air. At the apex of his leap, he hurled his spear at Theo.

He’s coming!

Theo had foreseen this, but he couldn’t help feeling nervous. Even if he had Alfred’s memories, this was still his first battle. The vivid smell of blood and killing intent tickled his nerves. However, a magician fought with their head, not their body. Theo pulled out the card he had prepared.

Memorize. All Slots Open.

The three spells he had stored were cast at the same time.

“Rise! Walls of Earth!”

The spear couldn’t be blocked by one layer, nor two. If that was the case, he would block it with three layers. Earth Wall, the 3rd Circle defense magic, was cast three times, and further enhanced by his contract with Mitra until it was completely solid.

The iron spear collided with the triple barrier with an earthshaking explosion.

Kabooom!

The first barrier shattered, and the spear continued. The second barrier resisted, but crumbled under the overwhelming force of the spear. The third and thickest barrier trembled and cracked, but finally arrested the spear’s fierce momentum.

Ta-thump!

Theo dug a finger into one of the cracks of the barrier and grinned, “Gotcha.”

His sharp eyes didn’t miss the target that was still in the air. It was different from the ground where the chief could move easily. No animal could move freely through the air without wings. At the very least, hobgoblins didn’t have wings. The same was true for their chief.

A second flash penetrated the darkness of the sky.

Piiing!

The hobgoblin chief crossed his arms in front of his face in vain, but a Magic Bullet wouldn’t be stopped by such a clumsy defense. The blue flash lit up the two arms as well as the head behind it.

Kuuong!

The lifeless body of the hobgoblin chief thudded to the ground, forming a two meter crater upon impact. Theo placed his foot on the hobgoblin chief’s body and threw his head back as he raised his clenched fist.

“Ohhhhhhh!” the mercenaries who witnessed his victory cheered.

The remaining hobgoblins soon realized they’d been defeated and fled to the forest, leaving only corpses behind.

Theo’s first battle in the Nadun Mountain Ranges ended in spectacular fashion.