Chapter 50: Serie's Suspicion
Serie had originally intended for Rhodes to create all sorts of magic, which he would then teach to her. That way, she could learn the magic of every race in the world, and even magic that didn't exist in this world.
But she quickly abandoned that idea.
It had taken him half a year to master ice magic and then teach it to her until she, herself, had a basic grasp of it. Time was passing far too quickly. Their first meeting felt like it was only yesterday.
It was then that Serie realized that she would never be able to learn all the world's magic from Rhodes. His lifespan was simply too short. For the first time, she felt a sense of helplessness at the fleeting nature of life.
She looked at Rhodes, who was sparring with Eirik in the distance, a complicated expression in her eyes.
Of course, the two of them were completely unaware.
"Hahaha! Rhodes, take this!"
Eirik, who had been diligently practicing his magic, could now skillfully use the light arrow spell. Combined with his agile movements, even Rhodes couldn't defeat him instantly.
He cast a spell, and three light arrows shot towards Rhodes in a triangular formation. Unlike Rhodes and Serie, who preferred to win with sheer numbers, Eirik seemed to favor the 'brute force' approach. The three light arrows contained several times the destructive power of a normal one.
Rhodes, however, calmly put up a two-layered magic barrier. The arrows exploded against it in a brilliant display of light. The first layer was quickly broken.
Rhodes was a little surprised. How much mana had Eirik poured into those arrows? Wasn't he worried about running out?
Fortunately, the second layer of the barrier held. Seeing this, Eirik laughed and leaped into the air, a spear of light condensing in his hand. "Try this on for size!"
"What the— When did you learn that?" Rhodes's eyes widened. The kid had been holding out on him. The spear of light shot through the air towards him.
Rhodes didn't hesitate. He threw a light spear of his own. The two spears collided, and following the age-old principle of 'in a beam struggle, the one on the left always loses', Eirik's spear was quickly dispersed, while Rhodes's continued on its path.
"Serie, take down his magic barrier!" Rhodes shouted, not even looking at her. He was clearly annoyed that Eirik had been hiding such a powerful spell. If he hadn't been careful, he could have really been caught off guard. And by 'caught off guard', he meant he could have lost the sparring match. They both had magic barriers cast on them by Serie, which was the main reason Eirik had dared to be so reckless.
Serie nodded and dispelled Eirik's barrier.
"Hey, hey, hey! You're gonna kill me!" Eirik quickly threw up his own barrier to block the incoming spear.
"This is what you get for holding out on me! Now dodge! And try not to die," Rhodes said. He raised his hand, and a dense volley of light arrows materialized in the air. He had to teach this kid a lesson, or he would get too arrogant.
Seeing the arrows, Eirik's face turned pale. In the next second, they were all speeding towards him. He quickly rolled to the side, but the arrows rained down, leaving a series of craters in the ground around him.
"Rhodes! Are you serious!?" he shouted, scrambling to his feet, seeing that the arrows had not lost any of their power.
"Why didn't you hold back just now!?" The fact that Eirik had broken through his barrier meant that he had been at full power, not holding anything back.
"Ahem, I just thought that with your strength, I wouldn't be able to win if I didn't go all out," Eirik explained with a sheepish laugh.
"Too late. You can talk to my arrows now!" Rhodes's voice was merciless. The arrows rained down again.
Eirik immediately threw up another barrier, barely managing to block the volley. He was about to get up, but he found that the hem of his clothes had been pinned to the ground. A single light arrow had somehow managed to pierce his barrier with pinpoint accuracy, pinning him in place.
"That's called tactics," Rhodes said, walking over. "In a real fight, you have to pay attention to every single one of your opponent's attacks. A single lapse can lead to your defeat."
The magic circle on his hand was still active; he was clearly preparing another attack.
Eirik swallowed hard. "Wait! I give—"
Before he could finish, he suddenly felt a frost spreading up his leg. It was a cold that seemed to seep into his very bones.
"There's more!?" Eirik looked up in shock and met Rhodes's cunning gaze.
"A double whammy," Rhodes said with a snap of his fingers, and the frost immediately melted away. His ice was quite cold; he didn't want to accidentally give Eirik a cold.
From a distance, Serie watched the scene unfold. She noted the fluid way Rhodes had combined his spells, switching between the two elements without any hesitation. To be able to master the use of two different elemental magics in just half a year... she thought to herself, a complicated look in her eyes. At this rate, will I even be able to beat him?
But that can't be right. She was an elf, and he was just a human with a lifespan of less than a century. She would only grow stronger with time, while he would not. But then why... why do I feel so uneasy?
Serie didn't know what was wrong with her. Perhaps she was sick.
Just then, a movement from Rhodes broke her train of thought. She saw a flicker of mana around him, a sign that he was casting a spell. But for some reason, she couldn't tell what kind of spell it was. Was it her imagination?
"Get up," Rhodes said, extending a hand to Eirik, who was still sitting on the ground.
Eirik took his hand, but as soon as their palms touched, a wave of weakness washed over him, and he sat back down with a thud.
"Strange... why do I suddenly feel so drained?"
The smile on Rhodes's face froze for a moment, and a flicker of panic, which he quickly concealed, crossed his eyes. "You probably just used too much mana in the fight. You'll be fine after a rest."
Eirik thought that made sense and didn't give it another thought. He got up and walked over to Norne, who was preparing their meal. "Hey, Norne, what's for dinner?"
After Eirik had gone, Rhodes's smile faded. But when he turned his head, he saw that Serie was watching him.
"What is it?" he asked, forcing another smile.
"Nothing."
Though she was suspicious, she didn't say anything.
~~~
yo guys!
sorry for delay-i forgot to drop the extra chapter yesterday, so i'm uploading it now and we only need 20 more power stone for next extra chapter.
Good luck guys and thank you!!