“Shadow wolves?” Orion asked, warily eyeing their surroundings.
With [Inspect] and [Verification Principle] working together, locating the monsters wasn’t particularly difficult. Though honestly, he would have preferred not to find any.
[Shadow Wolf - Lv. 21 - E-Rank]
[Shadow Wolf - Lv. 22 - E-Rank]
[Shadow Wolf - Lv. 27 - D-Rank]
[Shadow Wolf - Lv. 23 - E-Rank]
[Shadow Wolf - Lv. 29 - D-Rank]
[Shadow Wolf - Lv. 20 - E-Rank]
“Yes, we are surrounded,” Asteria calmly explained, seemingly unbothered. Given the vast difference in power between her and the wolves, maybe she was right to stay calm, but Orion wasn’t used to this kind of situation.
Admittedly, he’d put his life in danger quite often lately, but there was something that tickled the primitive part of his brain about dangers lurking in the dark that he didn’t quite know how to handle.
No, don’t let yourself get caught up in their game. It’s just a hunting tactic. I need to respond in kind.
Seeing that Asteria wasn’t doing anything about their little problem, and Ophelia was looking around in fear, unable to find the monsters, Orion sighed. “Do you want me to take care of them?”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea, moonbeam,” his mother replied with a smile. "This shouldn’t be much of a problem for you. Shadow wolves are weak to Light magic.”
“Yeah, I can imagine,” he retorted, peering into the darkness to get a better look at the strange magic that kept the wolves hidden.
Something strange was happening here. Shadows shouldn’t have been something one could freely interact with, since they were just the absence of light.
And yet, these wolves were quite clearly manipulating them to hide their presence and, likely, to attack.
The one thing preventing him from freaking out was that, no matter how strange the ability was, it still seemed to follow actual physics, as much as solid shadows could.
Whenever the wolves moved, it wasn’t so much that they were actually changing their position as that the shadow's length increased due to a new projection that spread from their body.
In this case, the absence caused by their presence was replaced by mana. Understanding that didn’t change the fact that the wolves were still incredibly creepy in how they skulked and slithered around, moving fluidly between trees and bushes without making a sound.
But it confirmed Asteria’s words and added another layer of meaning. It wasn’t just that the wolves were vulnerable to light magic, but that any light with enough energy could completely disrupt their form.
Though they could probably recover from minor wounds fairly easily, Nick had no intention of playing whack-a-mole with them by shooting lasers and hoping they would stay still.
“Is there a way to keep us from being noticed? Using light magic in the middle of the night isn’t exactly subtle,” he murmured, even as he prepared to cast the most overpowered Torchlight he could muster.” Let’s see how they like that.
“The area is already shrouded. Go ahead,” Asteria replied, lips twitching upwards.
Orion would have liked to look around to see if he could spot the magic his mother had apparently cast without his notice, but he knew that if he took his eyes off the wolves, they would attack.
“Then this is a perfect moment for you to close your eyes,” he said casually, and it took Ophelia a moment to follow his instructions.
Once he was sure neither of his companions would be harmed, Orion flooded the formula I = (P + ATP)/(4πr2) with as much mana as he could draw from the local field. There was some resistance, which was expected since he wasn’t in the Sanctum anymore, but the spell went off smoothly.
The wolves appeared to sense that something was about to happen because, without hesitation, they leapt out of the bushes where they had been hiding, revealing their dark form in all its glory.
Huh, not much different than an actual wolf if it had been dipped in tar, Orion had the time to think, before the world turned to light.
The Torchlight spell was the simplest of all spells taught at the Sanctum, but it wasn’t worthless. In fact, it was the opposite, serving as a gateway to learn the many aspects of light magic.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
Orion had liked it from the very beginning. It was the first spell he managed to cast exactly as it was supposed to, and also the first one he pushed beyond what was considered the usual limits.
In his hands, Torchlight had become the equivalent of a lighthouse, and he didn’t hesitate to unleash its awesome might upon the shadow wolves.
The monsters didn’t even get a chance to make a sound, as their forms were engulfed in a light so bright that the very shadows that composed them ceased to be.
Orion still maintained the spell for a few more seconds, even after feeling the System ping his consciousness to inform him of his victory.
Once he was sure he had found them all, he cautiously opened his eyes, taking in the clearing.
The first thing he noticed was that not a trace of the monsters remained. It seemed that whatever strange construct magic kept them together simply couldn’t withstand being flooded with light mana.
Once he was sure the threat was gone, he gave in to his curiosity and pulled up the blinking notification.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
+1 to Attunement
+2.500 Exp
Level up!
It was interesting to note that, although the total amount of Exp wasn’t insignificant, it was still less than what dedicating himself to developing a piece of magic would yield.
And that was considering that he’d defeated six wolves, two of which were above tier zero, if only just.
“Unconventional, but I guess if it works, it works,” Asteria murmured.
“How else should I have dealt with them?” He asked, surprised. It seemed incredibly obvious to him, since using any other spell in his arsenal would have meant dealing with six moving targets who appeared perfectly capable of coordinating.
It influenced his decision that using Torchlight had no possible negative consequences for his companions. It wasn't the reason he chose it, but it made it definitive. It was the natural counter to the shadow wolves.
“Well, for instance, most people wouldn’t use a spell that’s just as likely to blind you as your enemies, especially not against monsters you have no experience with,” his mother explained, though her tone wasn’t critical. “It worked this time because shadow wolves are truly weak against any kind of light magic. Most specialized hunters will tell you that the few wolves who reach the upper levels are resistant to this kind of tactic, but most of the time, they are seen as pests, and the most common way of dealing with them is very similar to what you used, if a bit less drastic. Did you read about it somewhere?”
The question wasn’t without merit. Orion had taken the time to thoroughly explore the first floor’s library, and with Set’s help and guidance, he had made significant progress through the books that contained real information.
However, that wasn’t the case this time. I didn’t read much about monsters besides the species found in the Silverpeak ranges and those most useful for potions.
No, the credit went entirely to his trait, which allowed him to see the wolves’ weakness clearly. The SDGs also helped, as they let him observe the monster’s positions and power level, which explained why he was so confident in this approach.
Instead of answering, he tapped his glasses and gave his mother a meaningful look.
Asteria let out a sound of realization and nodded, clearly having come to a realization.
I don’t like lying to her, but I’m not going to explain the specifics of my traits when Ophelia is here.
Indeed, although she kept quiet, the girl had been watching everything with wide eyes. When she felt his attention on her, she gave him a surprisingly bright smile, “Oh, that was so cool.”
Orion blinked, surprised that she took it in stride so easily. Maybe he was biased, as his past experiences with girls their age, aside from Luna and Selene, hadn’t been very promising. Ophelia herself had seemed eager to follow that pattern when she tried to snuggle up with him.
At the moment, however, her eyes sparkled with delight, and it was clear she wasn’t faking it. She genuinely thought he was cool for handling the monsters the way he did.
“Well, thank you,” he muttered, unsure how to deal with her.
Before the situation could get any worse, Asteria took pity on him and put an end to the awkwardness, “It’s still a bit early, but we might want to eat whatever’s left of the stew and get going. Dawn will arrive in less than an hour, and the longer we ride, the sooner we’ll reach Last Thaw.”
No one had any complaints about that. Orion was still feeling the adrenaline rush from the battle, and even though it had ended faster than he’d expected, that didn’t mean his body had gotten the message.
He quickly rekindled the pit using the same flame charm employed for potions, prompting a distracted smile from his mother, while he made an effort to ignore Ophelia’s stare.
Pulling up his status screen seemed the kind of thing one might do after a fight, especially since he’d just earned a level.
ORION A. VOIDWALKER
Class: Empiricist [C-rank]
Level: 31
Mind: 88
Attunement: 85
Body: 16
Traits: Mana Manipulation [C-rank]; Verification Principle [C-rank]
I’ve slowed down more than I expected, but then again, that’s the cost of having a C-rank class at my level. The experience requirements are just crazy.
He was still staying ahead of his peers despite that handicap, but Orion had never been someone to settle for just that.
Well, I suppose I shouldn’t worry too much about it. We still have another day for Last Thaw, and I don’t believe we’ll be able to get to Valderun unmolested, so I’ll have many more chances to gain the experience I need.
It didn’t take long for them to scarf down the rest of the stew, and once they were done, Asteria snapped her fingers, disrupting the mana holding the bowls and shelter together, seamlessly returning them to the earth.
Soon after, they were back on the golem horses, leaving the forest clearing behind.
Traveling through the wilderness turned out to be less of a chore than Orion had feared. Sure, the occasional cold draft forced him to recast warming charms now and then. The feeling of Ophelia pressed against his back was a bit uncomfortable, especially with the looks she kept giving him when she thought he wasn’t looking. Still, Asteria handled any real threat in their path, and by avoiding the villages and towns that dotted the countryside, they managed to make good time.
By the time the sky began to darken, they reached the top of the last hill and finally saw their destination.
Last Thaw lacked the natural protections that Silverpeak could boast of, as it was situated on a floodplain and had a massive river that stretched further than Orion’s eyes could see along its eastern border. However, it made up for this with mighty watchtowers and lighthouses all around it.
The city—and it was a city, even though it wasn’t particularly impressive compared to Earth’s metropolises—stretched along a large stretch of the river, being much longer than it was wide.
Normally, Orion would have considered that poor urban planning, but with magic, building such structures wasn’t as resource-intensive. He even saw hundreds of small lights on the river’s surface, indicating that the fishing industry was thriving, which explained the numerous lighthouses.
“Is the port particularly developed?” He asked as the golems began trotting down the hill.
Surprisingly, it was Ophelia who responded. “It’s all a port.”
Orion hummed in surprise as he adjusted his mental image.
“It’s basically a fishing port that grew into a city,” Asteria confirmed. “And do you know what ports are famous for?”
“Fishermen?” Orion tried.
“Well, that too. But in our case, what we are looking for are smugglers," his mother explained. Immediately, both horses started moving away from the main road, which Orion could see led toward the imposing gates and the southernmost parts of the city, where wooden docks served as piers for the poorer fishermen.
HERE to get on my Patreon, where you will find 17+ extra chapters, with many more to come!
