Chapter 137: Airy Disturbance (2/2)
A perfectly round tunnel had been carved through the monster's head and abdomen, killing it instantly.
The youth noticed them, and with a slightly embarrassed smile started rubbing the back of his head. ”Sorry about that.”
None of them knew how to respond.
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[Well that was unexpected.] Mike thought while looking at the spider again. It had surprised him when he was in the middle of his chanting, emitting a burst of hostile intent and charging.
He'd wanted to put the idea of vibrating air currents to use in an offensive manner, and so he hit upon the idea of concentrating the area of the previous defensive spell, while adding a vibration component to the wind itself. Judging from other accounts he'd read about the process of augmenting spells, he'd assumed that it would have ended in failure, but some combination of his skills and titles, and his Communication Magic had made the whole process simple. He needed to look back through his status again sometime soon.
Now, however, he needed to deal with the current situation. Judging from the information he gleaned from Appraise, a group of University Guards and Magic Department instructors had witnessed the spell, and were currently staring at him in shock.
After a few moments, a reddish-blonde haired man with an open and steadfast face, who was apparently named Brad, started walking closer while talking. ”Are you alright?”
”Yes, I'm perfectly fine. I was just a little startled.” Mike replied with an awkward laugh.
[Now, how should I talk my way out of this one?]
Brad looked relieved, ”That's good. Anyway, what were you doing out here by yourself? Didn't you hear the announcement about traveling in groups for the next few days? There are monsters like this one scattered around campus, and we are still hunting the last of them down.”
[Then why didn't you say so when you made the announcement. If I knew there were monsters roaming the University, I would have acted differently....or at least paid a little more attention....Never mind.]
With another awkward laugh, Mike replied. ”Is that what this was about? I would never have been out here if I knew about it.”
Another instructor walked over. This one was called Marcus. He was a skinny brown haired specimen, which brought to mind one of those yappy little dogs that was always terrified of everything around them. Leveling a slightly suspicious gaze at Mike, he asked. ”What was it you were trying to do out here? This section of the campus is pretty much deserted.”
”Well, I was practicing my Air Magic. I wanted to do it in an isolated location, in the event that it backfired on me. I was involved in the battle earlier, and it was mortifying to see how little I was able to contribute. I felt absolutely helpless. I want to improve myself, so I won't have to feel that way again.” Mike answered, trying to speak as truthfully as he dared, without giving too much away.
Brad smiled at that. ”A fine sentiment, young man, but you should head back to the dorms where it's safe. You may have gotten lucky this time, but there is no reason to press your luck. I'll have a couple of the guards see you back.”
Mike looked mournfully over at the spider corpse. He had planned on trying to extract some alchemical ingredients from the thing, but decided that maintaining his deception was more important. ”Thank you. That is much appreciated.”
Sighing internally, Mike followed two of the guards as they started leading the way back to the dorms.
[Looks like it's going to be a bit inconvenient to go out for a while....Although, this does mean I can go monster hunting without having to leave the capital.]
Gleefully, he started planning on what he would do once he'd gotten away from the guards.
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Scanning the area, Marcus thankfully didn't detect any other monsters. With their reduced entourage, he didn't want to think about getting into a fight.
He thought back to the strange student, and wondered again what was going on with him. There was something suspicious about the man that he couldn't quite put his finger on.
Brad, who was examining the spider corpse, glanced up at him. ”Look at this thing! Have you ever heard of an Air Magic spell that could tear through a Tier 2 monster like this?”
”Maybe if the caster was an accomplished mage, it would be possible, but I can't think of anything a student could do that would fit.” Marcus replied while walking over to examine the tree with a newly formed hole through its trunk.
”The edges of the cut are so smooth, it looks like it was made with a cannonball or something.” Brad was saying, but Marcus was no longer listening. The hairs on his neck were standing on end.
”Brad. Come look at this.” He said quietly.
His friend walked over with a questioning look on his face, ”What?”
”Look right there.”
”What am I looking…my gods. How is that possible?”
Marcus shook his head, completely unable to take his eyes off the sight. A hole had been carved into the trunk of the tree, and the one behind it, and the one behind that. As far as he could tell, the passage of the spell continued until the walls of the University itself.