Magical Exhaustion.

Chapter 11 - Magical Exhaustion.

Things were not going well. They were being overwhelmed by numbers, not even giving them time to take a breather. Cain was already looking at the warrior a little nervously.

"Come on, it's about time. Use that skill [Dissecting]!!!"

An impatient Cain was a little nervous, he didn't know if the future would change anywhere else. He wanted to just yell for the warrior to use his skill but realized that it might raise unnecessary suspicion from his team.

No one could know each other's exact skills unless they had seen something like this before. Neither could their partner's real name.

This warrior had never yet shown his abilities. With the mage, it was a wind class spell [Gust], capable of repelling things in a large range. The old archer had the [Triple Arrow] skill, which fired three arrows in one shot.

And the dead thief, it was a skill [Shadow Merge]. A very powerful skill in competent hands. A skill that allows you to go into invisibility, and for 5 seconds to move without dropping the invisibility effect.

If she survived and found a book or scroll of the skill and transferred it to him. She would have a very bright future ahead of her. Even if she wasn't going to become a thief, she could sell it for a decent amount of gold.

But unfortunately, the dice played a cruel trick on everyone.

"My skill, on the other hand, is [Light Reflection], not a bad skill that can return 2% physical damage and stun for 0.2 seconds. Works twice as well on the undead. Also not a bad starting skill for a paladin, but not worth the effort. Even the emptiest skill book, would be worth much more."

Cain reasoned quietly as he fought off the crowd of skeletons. Thanks to some experience, he could afford a little distraction. Unlike a swordsman sweating profusely and a pale mage who was running out of natural mana.

But he didn't have to wait long, the warrior quickly slashed a horizontal lunge at the three skeletons. And at the same instant two of the three at once scattered, the rest was taken by the last blow of a heavy sword.

The heavily tired warrior fell exhausted to the floor. Meanwhile, the mage used the already limited gusts of wind less and less frequently. Slowly he backed away from the tired swordsman.

"Don't lead them here, you idiot!" the warrior roared at the mage in anger upon seeing what was happening.

"But I can't take it anymore, I only have one spell left! I need help! That damn paladin can't handle two poor skeletons! I don't know how much longer I can last!" the mage spat unhappily with a frightened, pale face.

Everyone was at the limit of their strength and ability. A warrior without strength, a mage without resources, and an old man were out of the question.

And only Cain felt more or less normal. His stamina was much higher than usual. And it was all thanks to the awakening of mana. The mana nourished his body slightly, allowing him to hold on longer.

A shell mage was different from a true mage. True mages had many times more mana. And they were not limited to the number of spells. As long as the mage could meditate, he could gradually restore his mana. He could cast spells forever.

But there were fatal flaws. Such as concentration and the time it took to cast spells. Hand magic, as it would later be called, was very different from avatar magic.

Those who received a magic avatar could use magic instantly and without much strain on the mind. It was like a pre-made spell that only had to be released.

Thus, such magicians were limited only by the amount of magic they could use. And it's way of replenishment accordingly. It was much more difficult to recover a spell than to find another one.

Therefore being an avatar, mages could seldom afford to go wild. Everyone painstakingly and carefully stored it for life and death.

After all, if a mage uses up all his spells, he will be considered the most ordinary person. He could even become a powerful burden to the entire team. It was not uncommon for such mages to be left to die alone.

Being without possessions and spells, they remained forever in the dark dungeons. Becoming an inseparable part of them.

...

Closing the shocked girl's eyes. Cain discreetly began to rummage through her gear with his other hand while the rest of the team bandaged her wounds and rested. Searching allowed for a certain chance of pulling an item from someone else's inventory.

As Cain searched her, he found a pair of blades and an old pendant. Cain glanced at it; it bore a portrait of a family loving each other, with two girls who looked alike. Most likely it was her twin sister.

Something strange clenched in his chest. He hadn't remembered the faces of his family for a long time. The dungeon simply wouldn't allow it. The politics of the dungeon demanded all the attention of the user. It wouldn't let you go even on your deathbed.

Placing the pendant in the dead girl's hand, he covered her with his white cloak.

"Come, we must move out!"

"Yes..."

"..."

With one last look at the makeshift grave, the team entered the dim and dirty passageway again. They all realized that it could have been every one of them. Goosebumps ran throughout their bodies.

Ahead of them a few more skeletons got in their way, but it caused no difficulty for the warrior and paladin. As they quickly finished their journey, they saw something that blurred their minds. And the recent events completely slipped their minds.