Chapter 111: Start of the real-combat mission!

Translated by: Reiji

“Multiple skill invocation effect?”

“Cocktail-style composite arcane power effect?”

“Integrating arcane particles with arcane power through sixty patterns?”

Within the following dozen seconds, Ayrin finally understood why Donna's “Fire Embers” was one of the hardest arcane skills to learn.

This arcane skill unexpectedly required three instant skill invocations, flowing the arcane particles from inside the body out of the hands and feet at the same time but in three different time frames. Arcane particles were split into three parts, gushing out from three different positions in the hands and feet, and you needed to rely on minutes gestures of the hands and feet to cause sixty streams of arcane particles altogether to flow out of the body in different ways, generating a discrepancy in the integration with arcane power, finally forming a perfect synthesis effect.

“There are some especially mighty arcane skills that are true multi-invocation skills in the genuine sense, launching multiple arcane skills with extreme speed. The collision of primordial energy will trigger a more violent chain reaction.” Donna looked at Ayrin and explained, “My Fire Embers originates from the era of the newly risen Draconic scholars' Goudohar kingdom. The creator is the one called 'Great Cocktail Master' Norcas. His studies were directed at how to control as many flows of arcane particles in on arcane skill as possible, in order to produce effects only multi-invocation skills can generate.

“Of course, the arcane skills he pursued are faster than the genuine layering of multiple skills, but the result was that every one of his arcane skills is especially difficult. After all, it's equivalent to doing the things you'd do to invoke two or three arcane skills in the time you invoke a single skill, and you even need to be especially meticulous. That's why the vast majority of his arcane skills weren't passed down. This kind of diverse and meticulous arcane researcher has always been in the minority. The mainstream still consists of studies on gathering more arcane power with single arcane skills.

“Also, legends say that the only ones who can use it are arcane masters with some red dragon bloodline, that is to say, the bloodline of fire dragons, or some other mutation bloodline with a special affinity for fire-elemental arcane energy.” Donna thought for a while, yet she still added without holding anything back, “I happen to have a little red dragon blood... The reason why I'm telling you this much is to make you understand that, if you really feel you can't adapt to this skill, that you can't use the aura of this skill, then don't be overly tempted by it. Many arcane masters, because they were lured by the power of formidable taboo skills, kept studying them, yet couldn't learn them no matter what. In the end, they never obtained any accomplishment in their lifetime.”

“I understand. If I can't learn it, I won't try to keep digging a hole. Anyway, our Holy Dawn Academy still has many arcane skills I can learn.” Ayrin looked at Donna, a little embarrassed. “Only, teacher Donna, can you do the kind of arcane skill that let'll me remember the scene of your skill invocation, like teacher Ciaran did?”

“Are you talking about 'Spirit Touch'?” Donna blinked faintly, then immediately smiled and shook her head. She stretched her hand and handed a small scroll to Ayrin. “I can't grasp that skill. That said, the effect of that skill is to give a profound impression of a scene that happened only moments ago in front of your eyes. I can just use the skill again right now, and Ciaran will help with Spirit Touch. This is an explanation scroll I made, you can also peruse it carefully.”

“Teacher Ciaran, can we do that?” Ayrin took the scroll and looked at Ciaran.

“Go for it.” Ciaran smiled faintly, nodding at Ayrin and Donna.

“Fire Embers!”

“Soul Contract – Spirit Touch!”

When the pale embers once again flashed around Donna, a stream of arcane particles became a dot of deep red light at Ciaran's fingertip, then gradually vanished between Ayrin's eyebrows.

A seemingly very gentle breeze blew up, blowing some withered leaves.

Donna and Ciaran both became grave all of a sudden.

Liszt's figure suddenly appeared on a great tree in front of them.

“The missions are starting?” Donna asked directly. Her face no longer showed any of the gentle and relaxed expressions she had in the past few days.

“It's starting.” Liszt nodded. He stretched out his hand and directly shot out a small scroll in front of Ciaran. “I already let someone notify Moss, he should be here very quickly.”

“Then we'll meet after the start of the mission.”

Donna waved at Ciaran and Ayrin. After a mere few flashes, she and Liszt both vanished completely from Ayrin's line of sight.

“Teacher Ciaran, is it like you said a few days ago, we're going to carry out missions as battlemasters?” Ayrin realized, suddenly excited.

“Yes.”

Ciaran opened the scroll Liszt tossed her way and gave it a careful once-over. Then red flames sparked on her hands and burned the scroll to ashes.

“We also have to set off immediately for Windsough Canyon.”

“Windsough Canyon?”

Before Ayrin could ask too many questions, a sturdy figure rushed wildly their way.

“Teacher Minlur.”

Halting in front of Ayrin and Ciaran, Minlur handed three backpacks to Ciaran. He tapped Ayrin's shoulder at the same time, saying, “Brave warrior Ayrin, your fighting spirit looks as sharp as ever. That said, we're merely using this method as a special training, but there's after all a great possibility you'll encounter a real battle. In front of genuine enemies, any arcane master will be extremely ominous and utterly vicious, an existence that lives only to send their opponents to the underworld. You have to listen to Ciaran's orders about each and every move.”

Ayrin nodded fiercely. “I know, teacher Minlur, I'll definitely follow teacher Ciaran's commands to the letter.”

“Sniff sniff...” At this moment, Ayrin suddenly couldn't resist sniffing fiercely.

“What's the matter?” Minlur felt very baffled.

“Smells really good, it seems like there are many tasty things,” Ayrin said. After a little wait, he finally saw Moss running their way from the canteen's direction, carrying two big bags of food.

“He can sniff the smell even from so far away, I can't smell it even from so close. Isn't this guy's sense of smell just a little too sharp?” Minlur felt that Ayrin was filled with puzzles from head to toe.

“Brave warrior Moss!” Ayrin shouted at the running Moss. “Did you finally heal your lame foot?”

“Ayrin!” Moss shouted, depressed, “If you say the two words lame foot again, I'm going to throw this food away right now.”

Ayrin was a little curious. “What, you bought all this food for me?”

“Do you think everyone is a Huge Food Monster like you? It's not an ordinary training session this time. It doesn't matter if you keep training while hungry during ordinary times, but now we're going out on a mission. Your stamina will be a bit better if we stuff you full right now. And, you won't pass out from hunger during the mission just because you skipped several meals,” Moss shouted.

“What, you usually don't eat to the full?” Ciaran frowned. Was it Carter's negligence, was there a problem with Ayrin's living expenses?

“It's not that. I'm doing it to bring myself to a very hungry state. Then I'll reward myself with some tasty stuff after accomplishing some training task. This way, my progress will be much faster than usual,” Ayrin explained. “That's a method teacher Huston taught me, it's really very effective.”

“Always keeping your body in a state of hunger? That's the way of ascetic arcane masters, have you been doing that all along?” Ciaran and Minlur couldn't help but share a look, both very taken aback. “Your capacity for food is especially great, yet you still can increase the speed of your progress by controlling your appetite?”

“Haha, it's truly hard to endure sometimes, I really want to eat a big tree. Only, when I train and reach my goal, I feel even happier than when I eat a lot. So, that's how I endure my way through training sometimes.” Ayrin laughed, a little embarrassed. “I can't persevere for many days either. I can't help myself from eating a big meal every four or five days maybe.”

Truly the most unpredictable guy, the guy with the highest fighting spirit...

Ciaran couldn't help but shake her head lightly.

“Moss is right in this case. Remember the first rule of arcane masters on a mission. Before the mission, you have to adjust yourself into your optimal fighting condition. We're setting off. Ayrin, eat while we travel.”

After saying that, Ciaran tossed the arcane master packs in her hand to Moss and Ayrin, one for each of them.

“Remember our mission this time. Before next sunrise, we have to hurry to Windsough Canyon and prepare an ambush.

“There's a suspicious arcane master who might pass through there on his way to Gooseberry Townlet in search for a contact. That contact already noticed something abnormal two days ago and ran away. There's another arcane team chasing after this person, as well as others related to him. Our mission is to lay an ambush, to waylay and capture this suspicious arcane master who doesn't know yet the changes that occurred in Gooseberry Townlet.”

Utterly happy as he carried the two bags that were as heavy as him, Ayrin leaped nonstop while gorging himself, following behind Ciaran's figure. He couldn't repress his curiosity at the same time: “Teacher Ciaran, what's the history of the contact in Gooseberry Townlet? Is he related to Evil Dragon followers?”

“Why does it seem like this guy became much faster? He seems free and easy carrying so much stuff, while I have a little trouble following him instead.” Moss also went through a special training during this time, but he'd never been together with Ayrin. He perceived Ayrin's changes all of a sudden.

“You guys have to remember, during a mission, all the members of the same arcane team have to share all the news and discoveries related to the mission. Because, by concealing anything, you could cause your companions to fall in danger from the lack of understanding about the opponent,” Ciaran quickly said in a soft voice.

“The contact in Gooseberry Townlet concealed that arcane master who tried to assassinate Ivan. It's precisely thanks to his cover and assistance that the mysterious arcane master escaped from the several St. Lauren's arcane teams chasing him. Right now, the preliminary conclusion is that the arcane master who tried to assassinate Ivan is indeed related to the Evil Dragon followers. He might be the ringleader they sent in this area. That contact was originally the owner of the 'gome store.' He was hiding his strength. Before fleeing, he also revealed a strength of four arcane gates.”

“Then what about this suspicious arcane master we're going to ambush?” Moss couldn't help but ask.

“It's a member of an independent battlemaster team. He only has two open gates according to our data. Once a student of Fayth Academy, an ordinary human bloodline, an experience of twenty to twenty-five real battles. The arcane skills he uses relatively often are 'Flying Fireball,' 'Chaotic Butterfly Blades,' and 'Flash Step.'”

A word from your favorite translator:

Hi guys. First, I promised two chapters a day until chapter 100, but I was on holiday and missed a few days of double, so I sneaked some doubles in there this week XD. This series will be published once a day starting from now.

Second, and this is something I thought a long time about, I'm opening a Patreon. Now before someone goes "ah greedy translators etc etc," please note that: 1) I'm doing tling, editing, and proof-reading all by myself right now, 2) I do it on top of work and family time, and 3) I'm doing it for the huge fortune of 2 dollars something per chapter right now for several hours of work. If I wanted to do it for money I could easily have said yes to a certain publisher (hint: the name starts with Q. Also it ends with idian).

I enjoy tling and sharing, but at the same time, it's a somewhat lonely experience. So, if you enjoy the story and appreciate the quality of my work, and can afford it, then yes, I would appreciate very much your support and it would do wonders for my motivation. Also yes, there will be up to 10 advance (probably unedited) chapters as a thank you. Please note though that they'll be available from the start of next month.

In the same vein, be assured that your comments, even a thank you, is a great satisfaction for me, even if I don't have the time to reply to all of you. So thank you. :)

Also a special shoutout to matosz over at Reddit who posts all my chapters there XD.