Chapter 71: – The First Letter (71)

༺ The First Letter (71) ༻

It was a strange sensation. My head spun, my vision blurred, and my left arm went numb as the rampaging mana flowed through my veins like a wild beast.

The stream of mana caused my veins to expand and overflow. Was there always this much mana lying dormant within me?

It was painful. The beating of my heart echoed through my brain, and the pain intensified as every single sense became heightened.

My body was in shambles and each breath was shallow.

Where was I? Right. I was in the forest south of the Academy where the hunting festival was being held.

My dazed eyes laid upon a man urgently shaking me while seemingly calling out to me. My hearing slowly returned as his voice finally registered in my ears.

“Junior, Junior! You need to wake up!”

I was able to tell that the man with sunken cheeks was a devout monk. It was Senior Fermin.

Although not all of the clergy were necessarily good people, it was a common trait for those who possessed deep faith to live a sincere life according to the doctrine.

And it was precisely their devout faith and strict discipline that they were able to walk the arduous path of a monk. They fortified their skin by pouring scorching sand on their bodies from a young age, forming iron-like calluses that they then imbued with divine power, ultimately turning their bodies into formidable weapons.

As such, Senior Fermin was not an opponent I could hope to defeat with only a single arm, and considering he had already overpowered me, it seemed even more hopeless. In the end, there was but a single way for me to even have a winning chance.

A surprise attack. I decisively determined my next move like it was the most natural thing for me to do.

“…S-Senior… Fer…min…”

Senior Fermin’s expression grew more urgent upon hearing my weak voice. He brought his face closer to make out my words, unaware that doing so had consolidated his defeat.