When the Angry Clown’s roars echoed over, Ye Chui and Kaimis had already begun clashing with magic.
Kaimis wielded water-based spells, his signature move being the [Water Snake Dance]. Under his control, a massive water snake slithered down from his spellbook, coiling and hissing as it launched an attack on Ye Chui, just as it had in the Mercenary Guild Hall.
Kaimis’s spellbook had a white cover, the lowest grade of spellbooks. When he first awakened as a mage, it took him three months to master his first spell, [Flowing Water], confirming his spellbook’s water attribute. Nearly a year later, he grasped his second spell, [Water Snake Dance].
With a spellbook like his, no mage guild or mercenary band would eagerly recruit him. He could only linger in places like the Mercenary Guild. Over the next two or three years, he did little else but hone his [Water Snake Dance]. His efforts paid off, as no one in the guild wielded water snake magic better than him.
He harboured a twisted hostility toward novice mages. Just as he provoked Ye Chui, he loved bullying newcomers. This time, however, he didn’t expect to meet a tough opponent. Ye Chui humiliated him in front of everyone, deepening his sense of injustice.
“Lightning spells can travel through water to attack, but they have many weaknesses. I’m ready for them!” Kaimis shouted while controlling the water snake to relentlessly strike at Ye Chui. “The attack range of [Lightning] is short, two or three metres at most. And pure water transformed from magic? Your electricity can’t conduct through it. Grasp these two points, and you’re helpless against me!”
“Well, look at you, a proper scholar,” Ye Chui said while dodging, his voice tinged with mockery due to his heavy breathing.
“Scholar?” Kaimis paused, puzzled by the term.
But Ye Chui continued, unfazed.
“Even a scholar needs talent. Take now, for example.”
Ye Chui rolled on the ground, evading the water snake’s strike from above. His [Safety Guard] could block the snake, but each block consumed about ten percent of his magic power. Knowing the importance of conserving magic in battle, Ye Chui dodged whenever possible.
As he sprang back up, he tapped his iPad spellbook, unleashing his first spell of the fight.
Basic Attack Spell [Lightning Strike]
The basic elemental spell [Lightning] merely converted magic into electricity, but the released electricity couldn’t form an effective attack, severely limiting its range.
However, [Lightning Strike] was a proper attack spell. With a tap on the iPad screen’s icon, a sizzling sound rang out. A blue lightning bolt shot from the back of the spellbook, like a spear made entirely of electricity, hurtling toward Kaimis with fierce momentum.
Seeing the flash, Kaimis froze instinctively, his pupils dilating.
“You’re done,” Ye Chui declared in a tone he thought was impressively cool.
Then, the lightning spear grazed past Kaimis, slamming into a blue poplar tree in the centre of the graveyard with a bang. The tree shuddered violently, shedding a pile of withered leaves.
“Damn, I missed?” Ye Chui was stunned. Such a perfect moment, ruined.
Kaimis stood rigid, glancing at the still-shaking tree. A charred patch marked the trunk, with wisps of black smoke rising. He swallowed hard, realising his calculations about Ye Chui were completely wrong.
After being thoroughly zapped by Ye Chui, Kaimis still believed he could best him, banking on Ye Chui only knowing the [Lightning] spell. Now, he saw Ye Chui had mastered a new attack spell, one seemingly free of range limits.
Lucky for him, Ye Chui missed.
“Consumed twenty-two percent of magic power,” Ye Chui noted, eyeing the iPad’s display, feeling a pang of regret. He realised something crucial: casting a spell wasn’t enough. Hitting the target was key, and that required practice. A sense of urgency flickered in his mind.
Meanwhile, Kaimis, now aware of Ye Chui’s threat, frantically commanded the water snake to attack.
Ye Chui dodged clumsily, losing his earlier calm. A thud rang out as he failed to evade, and the snake struck him. His [Safety Guard] activated, draining nine percent of his magic power.
“Again!” Ye Chui seized the moment as the snake’s head dissipated and reformed, casting [Lightning Strike] once more. With a sizzling sound, another lightning spear shot out, only to land forty-five degrees off target, shattering a tombstone with a crack.
“…” Hitting a target with a spell was clearly a skill in itself.
“Ha! A useless mage, even with a new spell, you can’t use it properly!” Kaimis’s twisted face lit up with manic glee. He was furious. Ye Chui’s spellbook looked even worse than his, yet in just four days since awakening, Ye Chui had mastered three spells? Unfair! His jagged teeth bared in a snarl. “Tremble before my water snake!”
The massive snake coiled, brushing through the graveyard’s wild grass, rearing its head high to relentlessly attack Ye Chui.
Ye Chui grew increasingly flustered. He tapped the app store on his iPad, hoping to install a new spell to turn the tide. After installing [Lightning Strike], he had twelve points left. The fight with Kaimis had likely earned him more, enough for another attack spell, ideally one less demanding on accuracy.
In his panic, his finger missed the app store icon and hit the camera instead, activating the iPad’s camera function. The screen showed the view from the rear camera.
The iPad spellbook’s camera could be activated, but photo and video functions required costly points to unlock.
The water snake struck from behind again, blocked by [Safety Guard] with a thud. Ye Chui spun around, the camera lens catching Kaimis in the distance. It was an unconscious move, but when Kaimis appeared on the screen, Ye Chui was shocked to see a white targeting frame lock onto him, like facial recognition. The [Lightning Strike] icon appeared beside the frame.
“Is this… the camera’s facial recognition turning into a spell-aiming aid?” Ye Chui quickly grasped its meaning.
Once the targeting frame stabilised on Kaimis, he tapped the [Lightning Strike] icon.
A lightning spear shot out.
The water snake opened its terrifying maw, ready to strike again.
With a whoosh, the lightning spear pierced the snake, shattering its head. Undeterred, the spear continued, striking Kaimis in the distance with a boom…
