Chapter 24: A Distant Voice (1/2)
Nikolai repeated his actions several times, striking and running away. The first two strikes were the most powerful, but he should regenerate some mana in a while.
Mana attracts mana. The higher mana you have, the more regeneration of mana you would get. Having only two points in mana, Nikolai was far from a real mage. Even warriors have a higher stat in mana than this.
As his bullets rained on the mage, the rest of the skeletons got in a frenzy to catch him. They started trying to climb the pillars but that backfired at them as they fell on the ground because of their clumsiness.
The sound of clattering armor reached his ears and Nikolai ceased his firing. He hid behind a pillar as he looked at the entrance. From there, a group of people walked in while wearing steel armor.
”Is this the hidden spot?” A familiar voice asked. Nikolai strained his ears to listen in on the conversation. Luckily, he had used the potion earlier to make his shot silent.
He saw that there were several people and Nikolai was able to identify two of them. Julian and Scarman. It seems that Julian has hired these thugs to help him farm some crystals, leading the group to this place. This must be a part of his preparation for the mid-term exams.
'Oh, he must be quite eager to get into the Lost Garden.' Nikolai smiled sinisterly. 'Julian, Julian, Julian. This is the beginning of my revenge.'
”Yes, Young Master.” Scarman smiled modestly. ”We've caught winds of it a few days ago. They respawn every month here instead of the usual week, but they're only at the F-rank.”
”Mm, very well.” Julian adjusted his blond hair while scanning the monsters. ”I'll rely on you guys to hold them off.”
”Of course, young master. Boss Crow asked to take care of you to the best of our ability.” Scarman said while rubbing his hands together.
'Birds of a feather flock together. The Mackay Family must have dealings with Hyde Crow's gang in the city.' Nikolai noted. He hid behind a pillar and minimized his breathing.
His low mana stat made it difficult for them to be preceptive of his existence. As the team started to defend Julian from the mage's attack, the psychopath Nikolai hated so much fought against a skeleton.
Another team member, a henchman of Scarface, helped Julian whenever he was struggling. Even though he was the son of a big family, Julian was just beginning his journey in the stats world. He was still barely an F-ranker.
He took down the first skeleton in fifteen minutes. The team blocked the mage's icicles, depleting it of its mana. Nikolai decided now was a good time before he went toward one of the frozen pillars.
The veins on his arms bulged and Nikolai felt the power with them. However, there was also a backlash to this technique so he needed to make it quick. He struck the pillar with all of his strength, producing a 'PA!' sound followed by the crying of the building.
The roof began to cave in under its weight as the frozen pillars snapped in half as a result of Nikolai's actions. Nikolai began running away as soon as he broke the pillar and jumped off the window to fall directly toward the yard.
The glass broke but the sound was masked by the building collapsing. As Nikolai rolled on the ground and felt the air leave his lungs, he heard the sounds of screams from inside.